Lost
by Caeruleaneyes30
Summary: It started with a phone call and lives would forever be changed.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: The author of this fan fiction does not, in any way, profit from this story and all creative rights to the characters belong to their original creators.

This is my first Rookie Blue FanFic. Thank-you for reading. Love to know what you think.

They say a phone rings somewhere, in the world, every single second of a day. The thing about a ringing phone is that it has the unique ability to bring with it a multitude of emotions not only to the receiver, but the operator as well. Joy, smiles and laughs, frustration, confusion, anger, sadness, depression or fear can erupt once a ringing phone is answered.

It started with a phone call, to Frank Best's office, at 10:28 in the morning. The type of call no boss ever wants to receive.

After sitting for a moment at his desk and taking several deep breaths he stood up, walked out of his window encased office to speak to his secretary.

"Officer Swarek and McNally are partnered today and out on patrol. Have them contacted. I need them to return to the station ASAP. Tell them to come to my office as soon as they arrive."

"Then find Detective Barber and Officer Nash and have them both...come...no...um...have them both go to meeting room...is room one available?

"Yes, it is."

"Okay, locate them both and have them meet me in room one. Let me know as soon as everyone is present."

"Yes sir. Is everything alright?"

"I can't say yet. I'll be in my office, but hold all my calls for now."

**A few minutes later**

"Car 1505, heading back to the station as requested. ETA 15 minutes."

"Why do you think Frank wants to see us? I mean it must be urgent for him to call us back to the station in the middle of a shift and request to see us in his office. Do you think we're in trouble? I mean I thought the books were closed on the whole suspension fiasco once we were both reinstated. Do you think something has happened to my Dad? Maybe I should call him. You don't think Frank has decided to replace me with G.I. Joe? I mean fire me from..."

"McNally...McNally!"

"Yea!"

"You're over thinking again."

"I know, it's just..."

"Relax, call your Dad and see if he is alright."

"Please answer, please answer, please answer...Dad! Hi...no, no...everything is fine. I just called...to see if we could have lunch one afternoon next week. You can, great, I'll call you tonight...Love you too, bye."

"I take it Tommy is fine?"

"Yea, we're having lunch with him one day next week."

"Ah huh, Okay then. Lunch it is."

"I can tell those wheels in your head are still spinning in overdrive. Look, McNally, we've established your Dad is well. You have to admit that we have not done anything to get ourselves in trouble since we were reinstated. Both of us have been nothing but professional at work. You have even managed to be early to parade every day. It is possible we are being called back for a meeting about the Brennan undercover job, but I doubt it. A meeting would just be scheduled. Even if there has been a development."

"Okay, but what about G.I. Joe?"

"If Frank was going to fire you he would have done it this morning or he would do it at the end of shift. He would not call you back in the middle of a shift."

"But..."

"McNally, trust me."

"It's just that he is G.I. Joe..."

"Yea, but he is not awesome. I am awesome. You took me down on your very first day as a cop. That, in itself, makes you awesome. Then, your awesome training officer, namely me, trained you so you are therefore, without a doubt, are awesome. As for G.I. Joe I worked with him for a couple of days, and I can tell you he is not awesome. He's too "yippee-yie-yah-cowboy-lets-pull-out-my-gun-and-shoot-at-car-tires". Frank is not replacing you with him. Trust me."

"Okay...I'll stop thinking."

"Sure you will."

"I'll think "quietly" then. You won't be able to even tell."

"McNally!"

"Yea!"

"We're about to pull into the station. You don't have any more time to think quietly or otherwise. And just for the record, I can always tell when you are thinking."

Frank Best heard a knock on his door.

"Come in."

"Sir, Detective Barber and Officer Nash are both back at the station and I have them waiting in meeting room one. Officers Swarek and McNally are just outside. Do you want me to send them into your office? Frank's secretary stated.

"Yes, and thank you Ellie." Frank said as he stood up and walked around his desk to receive his officers.

"You wanted to see us, Frank?" Sam questioned after he and Andy entered their superior's office and shut the door.

"Yes, sit a minute." Frank replied as he stood in front of his desk and looked at both of his officers.

"Thank-you both for returning to the station as quickly as you did. Neither one of you are in trouble. I want you to know that. There's a situation. Andy, you and Nash are good friends and Sam you and Jerry have been close since your academy days together. I've called you both back here...to...I need you both to act in a "support" role for your friends. I have to speak to Nash and Jerry. Ellie has them both sitting in meeting room one waiting for me. Would you both accompany me now and be present when I speak to them?"

Sam and Andy glanced at each other.

"Sure boss, no problem." Sam answered.

"Yes Sir." Andy answered.

"We need to go now then."

**Meeting room one**

"Please, everyone take a seat."

"There is no easy way to tell you why I have called you all here. If truth be told, I have been in this position a couple of times before, but never with people have I had a relationship with. Believe me when I say that makes what I am about to say even harder."

Small glances went back and forth between the four officers.

"Officer Nash...Traci...is your son currently here in Toronto with you or is he on vacation, up north, with his father?"

"He's with Dex. Why?...What has happened?"

"He is definitely with his father?"

Jerry placed Traci's hand in his and entwined their fingers. Andy, who was sitting on the other side of Traci turned to face her friend, and in a show of concern placed her arm around Traci's shoulders.

"He's with Dex and his paternal grandparents. Dex's parents own a cottage, on the shores of Lake Simcoe, just north of Barrie. Dex took a job in Barrie and has been living there for the last few months. Leo is there with Dex for the summer. Why?"

"Okay, then he definitely is in Barrie with Dex? He's not back in the city with you?"

"Yes, I mean he's in Barrie with Dex...what...what has happened."

"Dex's parents had to come back to the city for a couple of days. There daughter broke her arm when she fell from a chair trying to repair a blind. Their son-in-law was out of town on business when the accident happened. They went to help with the grandchildren till he could return."

"According to the Grandparents, Dex had a couple of days off, so apparently your son stayed up north with him. You've just confirmed he was with Dex in Barrie."

"Dex's parents arrived back at the cottage around 9:30 this morning. They found Dex lying unconscious on the shore of the lake behind the cottage. He was lying face up with his body half in the water half out. Leo was no where to be found."

"Where...no...no...where is my baby?" Traci asked desperately while tears started welling up in her eyes.


	2. Chapter 2

**I would like to thank everyone who took the time to read Chapter One. From the response I received I think people are enjoying the story. Hope everyone feels the same way after reading this update. I love feed back. Don't be shy to post a review.**

Jerry was now out of his seat and squatting beside Traci holding her hand. Andy was standing behind her with both of her hands on Traci's shoulders. Sam had moved over to Andy's chair and was now facing Traci and holding her other hand.

"The Barrie police are on site now, as well as the OPP. They are just in the initial investigation. Dex has been transported to the local hospital in Barrie. He is suffering from major head trauma as well as various other injuries. I understand the doctors treating him are in contact with the neurological department at Sunnybrook Hospital and are trying to arrange to have him airlifted to the unit. Based on bruising and signs of infection the doctors feel that he has been laying on the shore for at least 18 to 24 hours."

"Traci...there is no trace of Leo. The police on site, at the moment, are treating Leo as a missing child."

"NO!...NO!"

"Traci, I have made arrangements for a police helicopter to take you, Jerry and your Mom to Barrie as soon as we can get you to Buttonville airport."

"We'll drive them now." Sam replied.

"No, I have a unit from the 27th ready to take them. Everyone here is too emotionally involved. I don't think it is good for you all to be in a vehicle together right now with one of your driving."

"Traci, I sent Shaw and Peck to your home to talk to your mother. I'm having her brought to the station. She can accompany the two of you to Barrie."

Traci simply nodded.

"I've booked hotel rooms for everyone here for the next couple of days."

"Jerry, give Andy the keys to your car. Andy, I need you to drive Jerry's car to Barrie. Sam you drive your truck there. Sam, Andy you both are on loan to the Barrie Police Department, for the next two days, to help in this investigation. I'll give you the contact information you will both need when you arrive."

Just as everyone was processing what Frank had just told them, a soft rap was heard on the door.

Frank answered the door and found Ollie standing there with an older Black woman.

"This is Mrs. Nash."

"I'm Staff Sergeant Frank Best Ma'am. Please come in."

Traci, who was, until now holding things relatively together, lost complete control when she laid eyes on her mother.

Traci stood up as her mother approached and fell into to her arms.

"My baby's lost." She sobbed.

"I know...I know...we'll find him." Mrs. Nash replied in a quiet, quivering voice. "We'll find him."


	3. Chapter 3

**I would like to thank everyone who has been reading, reviewing and following my story.  
**

Jerry and Sam went to the men's locker room and grabbed their bags. This is why they kept overnight bags at work. Part of being a cop meant that you may not be heading home at the end of a shift. Stake outs, prisoner transport assignments, witness protection detail...you name it. A cop had to be ready. Neither one ever imagined it would be for something like this.

Andy took Traci and her mother to the ladies locker room. Traci couldn't even remember the combination to the lock on her locker. Fortunately she had given the code to Andy a few months past, just in case of an emergency. Andy grabbed both of their bags and then helped Mrs. Nash lead Traci to the back parking lot. Frank was waiting with Jerry, Sam and an officer from the 27th precinct.

Jerry handed his keys to Andy. "You know what I drive? I mean, you know what my car looks like."

"Yes."

"I park it a couple of rows in front of Sam's truck."

"I know." Andy replied.

"I...um..."

"Jerry! Go...take care of Traci. Sam and I will be there as quickly as we can."

"I'll try to keep in touch. You know, let you know what is going on."

"Don't worry about us buddy. We'll find you when we get there." Sam replied.

Frank, Sam and Andy watched as the squad car pulled out of the precinct.

"Frank, is there anything you didn't tell us back in the room?"

"Look, Sam...Andy...while everyone was running to get ready to leave I phoned the officer that called originally and told him that Leo's mother has confirmed what the grandparents are claiming. Leo was with Dex. He was there. He said Dex had been viciously attacked. Based on his injuries the doctors treating him cannot believe he is even still alive. At this point they are not even sure he will ever regain consciousness. Leo is not a suspect in the beating. It is physically impossible for an eight year old, 50 pound boy to possess the strength to inflict the injuries Dex has sustained. Now that they know for sure that Leo was there, they are worried. If Leo witnessed the crime, but was able to run away and hide he would have probably been located by now. A K-9 unit is on site. You both know those dogs are incredibly well trained. Locating a small boy, somewhere in the nearby vicinity should not be a problem. There doesn't appear to be any trace of him. You both know the worst case scenario. At the moment there is no evidence to believe in that situation. Until something surfaces to suggest otherwise, Leo is being treated as a missing living, breathing child."

Andy's mind was going a million miles a minute. Her thoughts were scrambled with images of Leo, Traci, other missing children cases, worst case scenarios...

"Sam, Andy...have a safe drive. Check in with me once you have met with your contact at the Barrie Police Department."

"We will." Sam answered.

The drive to Barrie went quickly due to traffic being light. Andy drove Jerry's car and Sam drove his truck along behind her. They kept in touch with their hands free cell phones.

The year round three bedroom cottage Leo's grandparents owned was the hub of police activity. Police officers, a K-9 unit and forensic specialists were combing every inch of the property looking for clues and trying to piece together what had occurred. Divers had been called in and were scouring the bottom of the lake directly behind the cottage.

Sam and Andy, who were both in uniform, parked as close as they could and went to introduce themselves to the Detective in Charge.

Traci, Jerry and Mrs. Nash had been picked up at the local airfield by a member of the Barrie Police Force and taken to the precinct near Leo's Grandparent's cottage. As all three could easily prove that they were in Toronto during the time period that Dex was attacked and Leo went missing they were not considered suspects. They did try to answer as honestly as possible questions about Traci, Dex and Leo's relationship.

Sam and Andy over the next two days aided in the search for Leo. At first they helped with interviewing neighbours and with organized searches of the immediate terrain surrounding the cottage. Their interviews were able to help establish a timeline of Dex and Leo's whereabouts during the day before Dex was believed to have been attacked and Leo disappeared. Information gathered by officers indicated that Dex had taken Leo to his place of employment with him at 9:30 in the morning the day before the attack to pick up his paycheque. From there the two had visited a local bank. Next it appeared they made a stop at a local grocery store. Neighbours, who had been out for a walk along the shore, said they saw the two playing outside on the beach near the cottage around 1:00 that afternoon. Dex had signed Leo up for little league baseball and the two had attended Leo's game at 6:00 that evening. The game had gone till 7:30. Several members of the team and their parents had gone back to one of the player's homes for ice cream and drinks after the game with Dex and Leo being two of them. Witnesses claimed that both father and son left around 9:00. The fathers Dex sat with all claimed Dex was in good spirits and had only consumed one beer while with them. He was fine when the two left and Leo seemed happy. The next morning Dex and Leo were spotted at 8:30 in the morning at a local bait and tackle shop. The owner produced a copy of the bill showing that the two had purchased bait. Some fellow fishing enthusiasts claimed they saw Dex and Leo fishing off of a small power boat an hour and a half later at a fishing spot frequented by locals. Both father and son seemed to be enjoying themselves. From there the timeline seemed to go cold. The next event would be when Dex was found, by his parents, and the 911 operator was phoned. Sometime between 10:00 am one morning and 9:30 the next morning Dex was beaten and Leo went missing.

The second day, with no clues to be found, a "tip line" was set up. As information began to come in, Sam and Andy were asked to help identify plausible tips for officers to follow up on. They would have preferred to be "on the front lines" helping in the search, but as the Detective in Charge told them, they were unfamiliar with the local area.

"I know you want to be "out there" aiding in the search. I understand. Leo is one of your own. His mother is your colleague. The thing is you don't know the area. I think you would be more useful helping with the tip line right now. Tip lines have proven to be a very useful tool in law enforcement. Countless crimes have been solved and criminals brought to justice because of information phoned in to a tip line by members of the public."

As the day wore on both Sam and Andy had to admit that although there were many callers who were off there rocker there were people who phoned in with very plausible information. Those tips they passed on to local officers to check out. Late in the afternoon an interesting tip came in from a gentleman that owned a cottage about three kilometres down the shore from Leo's Grandparents. With all resources stretched to the limit, and officers from all precincts working overtime in searches, the only available law enforcement representatives available were Sam and Andy.

"You're right, this is interesting. Look, I don't have anyone at the moment available and it is getting late. Why don't you two go and check this one out?" Detective Adams said.

"Sure, no problem." Sam replied.

"Come over here. I'll show you on the map, I have hanging in my office, how to find the address."

Twenty minutes later Sam and Andy pulled into the driveway of a small summer cottage.

"Mr. Roberts, I'm Officer Swarek and this is Officer McNally. You called a tip into the "Leo Nash-Davis" tip line earlier today."

**Thank-you for reading. Love to know what you think. Send me a review. **


	4. Chapter 4

"Mr. Roberts, I'm Officer Swarek and this is Officer McNally. You called a tip into the "Leo Nash-Davis" tip line earlier today."

"Yes, just a moment while I put my shoes on. I'll have to take you around back and onto the beach. It's a short distance up the shoreline."

Sam and Andy followed the tall, fit, average weight, sixtyish, white haired gentleman around to the back of the small, white washed wooden cottage and onto the beach. As the trio walked along the sun that had shone brightly during the day against a cerulean sky slowly became hidden by grey clouds rolling in from across the horizon. The change brought a rough breeze that seemed to whip up the water turning the lake from a quiet bright blue picture perfect postcard scene to a dull blue grey angry wavy war like scene. Every now and then a small raindrop could be felt by one of the trio as they walked along the beach.

Andy caught herself gazing upwards and wondering if nature was sending a message with the sudden change. A few moments later, Mr. Roberts's voice speaking to them brought her out of her thoughts.

"I found it earlier this afternoon when I went out for a walk. I didn't think too much about it at first. I mean it's not unusual for things to wash up onto the beach."

"When I returned home I turned the radio on to listen to the news. The reports about the missing boy, in the area, started me thinking. I decided to take down the phone number for the hotline and give it a call."

"We're glad you did Sir. We take every call seriously. This may turn out to be the one tip that could solve this case." Andy replied.

"It is just around this bend."

"There it is." Mr. Roberts replied as he pointed to a dark green coloured canoe sitting upright on the shoreline."

"I figured some kids swiped it from one of the cottages and took it out for awhile. It happens. People use their cottages on the week-ends and then head back to their homes in Toronto for the rest of the week. It means no one is around. Local kids will sometimes watch and if they know there is a canoe locked in a garage and that no one is going to be around for a few days they will take the opportunity to "borrow" the watercraft. Usually they just return it when they are done, but if it looks like someone may catch them they will just dump it along the shoreline somewhere and take off home. The rightful owners usually spot it on the beach and will come along to retrieve it later."

Both Sam and Andy smiled a bit to themselves. Mr. Roberts's explanation had brought memories to the surface for both officers of what a teenage Sam and a teenage Andy had managed to get up to with friends.

"Like I said when I phoned the tip line, the thing that made me call was not so much the canoe. I mean, it is unusual that the canoe is right on the shoreline, like this one. Usually the boat will have been dragged up onto the beach. This looks more like this canoe may have washed ashore. The thing that had me thinking is that running shoe inside the canoe." Mr. Roberts said as he pointed to the shoe.

"I do not consider myself an expert when it comes to children, but my wife and I did raise five children of our own and we are grandparents to seven others. If you ask my opinion, as a father and grandfather, that shoe is about the right size to fit an eight year old boy."

Andy's complexion became pale.

"Sam!...Sam!"

"Yea, what is it McNally? Are you okay?" Sam questioned as he noticed Andy's lack of colour.

"The shoe...I went shopping with Traci and Leo just before the end of the school year. Leo needed new clothes and shoes for the warmer weather. I recognize the runner. It's the exact one Traci bought for Leo."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I remember because Leo kept going on and on about wanting a pair of ZigZags, but Traci told me they were expensive. Leo was so excited when we found them at a sports store and Traci said he could have a pair. The store was having a half price sale. Sam, they looked exactly like that shoe. The blue bottoms with the black and blue tops. I know they did. Leo wore them out of the store, he was so happy to have a pair."

"Okay, um..I'm going to call it in. Stay here with Mr. Roberts. I'll wait back at the cottage and direct the forensic team and the detectives down here."

"Sam!"

"Andy, it doesn't mean anything right now. We have to wait for forensics. It may not even be his shoe. I'm sure the company that makes that shoe sells hundreds of pairs of them every day. Even if it is his, it doesn't mean anything, yet! We'll follow the evidence. Okay! Don't over think McNally."

Andy bit her bottom lip.

"I'll try."

Sam gave her a small smile. "That's my girl. I'll be back as soon as everyone arrives at Mr. Roberts's cottage."

In the end Traci identified the shoe as Leo's. She had written his name on the inside of the tongue. When the detective in charge had pulled back the tongue Traci identified Leo's name written in her hand writing.

It would turn out to be the last piece of evidence or clue to be unearthed. The canoe was taken back to the forensics lab. Every square inch was searched and dusted for fingerprints. Frustratingly, nothing was ever discovered. The canoe had no "name" or serial number. There were no boats reported stolen over the past few weeks from the surrounding region. No fingerprints were found.

Divers were sent to search the area of the lake near where the canoe was found. Marine specialists were called to review currents in the lake. They tried to determine where the canoe may have originated from based on the length of time from when the crime was determined to have happened till when the canoe washed up on the beach. A stretch of the shoreline was identified as the possible launching point. Every inch of the area was searched and divers combed the lake, but nothing was ever found.

Leo Nash-Davis was officially a missing child.

**I had one reviewer who questioned why it took till the second day for a tip line to be set up. In my mind the police did not even know if Leo was actually missing. They needed to establish that he was not with his mother. They needed to be able to speak with her and confirm her alibi. The tip line was set up after they were sure Leo was missing and they had exhausted all possibility that he was hiding somewhere on the property. To me that would have taken most of the first day. Then again I could be wrong. This is a piece of fiction and not based on real events. Hope you like it anyway. **

**I would like to thank everyone who has been reading, following and reviewing my story. This is a long holiday week-end in Canada. Like many Canadians we are heading out of town. I'm taking my laptop with me and hope to have some time to write, but I will probably not be able to post another chapter until we return next week. The only place along the beach resort, we are heading to, that has internet is the local cafe. Not sure I want to post using their connection. Hope you all enjoy this chapter. **

**Thank-you and take care.**


	5. Chapter 5

Over the next three weeks, hundreds of local residents volunteered for police organized searches of farmer's fields, shorelines and forested areas surrounding Barrie. Nothing was ever unearthed.

From a medical stand point it was a miracle that Dex was alive and showing brain activity. He had been hit hard with a blunt object, not only in the back of the head but, repeatedly all over his body. Many of his injuries were defensive wounds. His neurologist told his Family, Traci, and Detective Adams that it was as if Dex was fighting with every last breath to stay alive.

"I have never seen anything like it. It's as if he is not ready to die. He is willing to fight all the odds that are against him because he wants to wake up. I think he has something to say."

It would be 28 days before Dex regained consciousness. The very first word out of his mouth was "Leo". The brain injury had affected Dex's memory as well as his hand eye coordination. The contusions, cuts, broken ribs, wrist and arm he had suffered had almost completely healed, but the broken leg and hip were going to require at least three more weeks of immobilization and extensive physiotherapy. At first he was unable to help the detectives with the events of the day that Leo disappeared. He could remember everything in the past, events from his childhood, his relationship with Traci and Leo, his welding career everything up and till he was attacked and hit in the back of the head. It frustrated him beyond belief. He knew Leo was in danger and he knew he had information that could help locate his son, but those facts were locked away deep within his brain. He just simply, at the moment, could not retrieve them. The police wanted to try hypnosis. Dex's doctors banned the notion. His brain was still healing and would be for weeks. They did not feel that his brain could handle being subjected to hypnosis. The police would have to wait. As time went by, and with extensive memory therapy with a psychologist, Dex slowly began to recall facts. Three months later Dex was able to tell the detectives bits and pieces from his memory. He could remember telling someone to put his son down. He could remember the stinging when he received the blow to the back of the head. He could remember a woman screaming "hurry". He could remember a light coloured vehicle. He could remember the letter H.

It wasn't much, but it did give hope that everyone was looking for a child that was alive and not a dead body

Reality, at the end of the each day though, was that Leo Nash-Davis was still officially a missing child.

Life for the cops at the 15th slowly went back to routine. It would never be back to normal, but routine, yes. Traci eventually came back to work after three months. Part-time for the first six weeks, then full time. She poured herself into every case she was assigned. Traci solved more cases in the next three months than any other detective on the entire force. In a way it was ironic, and it frustrated her. She could solve all of these cases, yet her own son's case remained opened and unresolved.

Her relationship with her mother remained solid. Mrs. Nash did not blame Traci for Leo's disappearance. Leo was a boy, and Mrs. Nash, like Traci had always felt that he needed his father in his life. Good or bad, Leo needed to know his father. Although over the last two years Dex had seemed to have grown up. He had completed his courses to become a registered welder. He had found a good job in Barrie and seemed to have taken a genuine interest in being a father to Leo.

Secretly, Mrs. Nash was dealing with her own demons. When she first found out about her daughter's pregnancy, at 15, she was devastated. She blamed herself. Then when she met her future grandchild's father she was mortified. Her grandchild was going to be of mixed race. In the end, none of those things mattered because the minute she laid eyes on him she had fallen in love. Now, all she wanted was to hold him in her arms again and tell him she loved him.

The Davis family's relationship with Traci remained the same as it had been for the last few years. They were in a good place. Actually, they supported the courts decision to give Traci sole custody of Leo with Dex having visitation rights. Mr. and Mrs. Davis had recognized Traci, years ago, as the mature and responsible one in the relationship. Secretly, they were grateful they even had contact with Traci and Leo. Two of their friends never saw their grandchild. The child's mother would not allow them access. Traci invited them to all of Leo's Birthday celebrations, school shows, and sporting events. They were allowed to see him at Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter and sometimes long week-ends and summer vacation.

Even though Traci had told them she did not blame them for Leo's disappearance they tended to feel responsible. They continued to ask themselves "what if" questions for weeks after Leo's disappearance. What if they had taken Leo with them? What if one of them had stayed while the other one had gone to the city for a couple of days? What if, what if, what if? The first couple of months, after Leo went missing, most of their time was spent at the hospital with Dex. Once he was released their time tended to be devoted to chauffeuring him to his various medical appointments. It kept them busy but, as time went by, it became obvious that between the feelings of guilt and the running around they were both becoming run down. The doctor eventually recommended they take a vacation and allow him to arrange for Dex to receive home help for a couple of weeks. Then when they returned he felt they should consider therapy. Traci encouraged both ideas and even offered to help with Dex some evenings while they were away. In the end, Mr. and Mrs. Davis did take a trip. Dex received home help each day and his siblings all took turns staying with him in the evenings and nights. Even after they returned Dex continued to receive home help for three afternoons a week and his parents did attend therapy. The home care and the therapy did help. Leo was still missing, but they were in a better place emotionally and physically.

Traci and Jerry had had their ups and downs since Leo's disappearance. In the end, they were still a couple. Jerry tried to be strong for Traci, but deep down he missed Leo terribly.

Jerry had secretly done a thorough search into Dex, even though he was banned from working the case due to being too emotionally attached to Leo's family. Nothing really showed. Dex had been a womanizer, and immature in the past, but he had never been in trouble with the law. His place of employment turned out to be a well respected, well known, long running family owned welding business with no ties to any crime organization. His drug and alcohol screens, when he was first taken to the hospital, were all negative. There was no indication that Dex was having problems of any sort that would result in him suffering the beating he had received. Nothing seemed to stand out. Actually, Jerry like his two favourit women had noticed a positive change in Dex over the past two years.

Dov turned out to be quite good at setting up web pages. He had worked with Traci, on and off, over a two week period, before she returned to work, on a web page dedicated to helping to locate Leo. There was a photo and description of Leo, a brief paragraph stating the location and the circumstances surrounding Leo's disappearance, the phone number for the detective in charge of the case at the Barrie Police Department as well as the phone number for a national missing children's organization. Traci had registered Leo with them. He then had helped Traci with mailing missing child flyers of Leo to every public school in the Province of Ontario. The hope was that a school teacher somewhere would recognize Leo and phone in a tip.

Sam and Andy were still together. Leo's disappearance had brought up memories for both officers. Andy was forced to face emotions she had long since buried. At least when she had been ripped from her mother's life, she still had a father. Leo had been separated from all his family. If he was alive, he was totally alone. Sam had to face the memories of being removed from his family. He had arrived home one day, from school, to find a suitcase packed with his clothes in the front hallway, a police officer talking to his sobbing mother, and a woman from the Children's Aid Society trying to explain to him why he had to go with her and the police officer. He was told his family was experiencing too many problems and that it would be better for him to live somewhere else for the time being. He was not to worry that they had found a new home and a new family to take care of him. He, like Leo, had been ripped from his home and everything he knew. At least his parents had the privilege of knowing where he was residing. He could still remember trying to say good-bye to his tearful mother and how he felt when the police officer pulled him off of her screaming and dragged him to a parked car in front of his home. He had continued to wave good-bye, to her, long after he couldn't see her anymore. He and Andy had sat in front of a beautiful roaring fire they had lit in the fire pit, in Sam's back yard, one fall evening after a tiring shift, and for some reason had both begun to talk to each other about being separated from their parents. It felt good to talk. It was the evening Sam decided he was going to start looking for a ring to purchase. He did, but had difficulty finding the perfect time to give it to Andy. He almost felt guilty that he could make Andy happy while her best friend was in such turmoil.

Andy and Traci were still close. Andy always made time for Traci whether Traci needed her to talk, to accompany her shopping, or just to go out for a drink. Traci was seeing a department physiatrist. It had been a condition of her return to work, and even after she had been cleared she had continued to make and attend appointments. They were helping but, sometimes she just needed a friend. Andy was always there.

Chris had a hard time emotionally for months into Leo's disappearance. He couldn't help but feel guilty. He had been the one who had encouraged Traci to let Leo spend the summer with his father up north when she was struggling with her decision. Chris's mother had never allowed him to spend time and get to know his father. He felt he missed out on doing the things that boys do with their fathers. Things like playing ball, fishing, canoeing, biking, hiking...the list goes on. Chris couldn't look Traci in the eye for months. Traci finally told him that she did not blame him in any way. Yes, Chris had encouraged her, but he was not the only reason she had allowed Leo to spend the summer with Dex. It did help to know that Traci did not blame him. It gave him periods where he could sleep at night, but he continued to have periods of remorse where he would begin to wonder what would have happened if he had not said anything. Would Leo still have gone to Barrie for the summer? Would he be, with his family, safe and sound?

Frank and Noelle were both in turmoil over their own pregnancy. Noelle had not really announced officially that she was pregnant. Now that Leo was missing she felt almost guilty having a child. Was she replacing one child at the 15th with another child? She wanted to celebrate, let her friends have a baby shower for her and enjoy her pregnancy, but at every turn she felt guilty. The time came when she could no longer hide her growing bump, but still her and Frank did not want to make an official announcement during parade. It was something they both had looked forward to, but now neither felt right about making the news official at parade. They felt as if they were saying "sorry your child is missing, but were having one and are celebrating". In the end, they simply waited, as individual officers asked Noelle politely if she was pregnant. It did not take long for word to get around the 15th, and for congratulations to come in. Surprisingly, Gail was the one to organize and throw a shower for Noelle, at a restaurant, one Saturday afternoon, which Traci did attend. Six months after Leo disappeared. Noelle gave birth to a healthy seven pound, four ounce baby girl that her and Frank named Chloe.

As the days turned into weeks and the weeks turned into months the officers at the 15th began to participate in an activity. It was something that no one ever acknowledged, but it was an event that everyone, at the 15th participated in. Whenever an eight year old boy with creamy brown skin walked by an officer from the 15th the officer would take an extra long look at the child's face. Every time secretly hoping it was Leo. It never was.

Christmas proved to be difficult for the Nash and Davis families. It didn't hit Traci until she came home from an after work shopping trip with Andy one evening in November how hard Christmas would be this year. While she had been waiting outside a store, for Andy to make her way through a checkout line, she had spotted something in an adjacent store window Leo would love and without even thinking walked in and purchased the object. It wasn't until she had returned home and began to unpack her bags to wrap gifts that she realized what she had done. Traci sat on the sofa grasping the gift and crying for an hour before deciding this was an omen. If she wrapped it, and placed it under the tree, perhaps Leo would be home in time to unwrap it Christmas Day. He wasn't.

After eight months, and with every lead or tip exhausted, the Barrie Police Department told the Nash and Davis families that they no longer could have detectives working full time on Leo's disappearance. Tips were rarely being phoned in now and no new clues or information had been discovered for weeks. Frank had sent Luke Callaghan to Barrie for a couple of days to put a fresh pair of eyes on the case, but he could not find any clue that could have been overlooked. All light coloured vehicles in the vicinity of the Davis cottage or seen on traffic cameras or CCTV cameras turned out to lead nowhere. The owners all had alibis. The Barrie Police Department would continue to follow up on any tips that were called into the tip line or any leads that were brought to their attention, Leo's picture and information would remain on their webpage but they would no longer be able to devote a detective to the case full time.

Leo Nash-Davis had simply vanished into thin air.

It started with a phone call.

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	6. Chapter 6

**I'm sorry this chapter is short. I hope everyone enjoys reading it though and I promise the next chapter will be longer.**

It started with a phone call.

It was exactly 10:28 on a crisp spring night when the door bell rang. Traci and her mother were just shutting down the main floor of the house and about to head upstairs to bed. Slightly startled by the ringing the women glanced momentarily at each other just as Traci went to see who was on their doorstep at such a late hour.

"Who is it Traci?"

"Mom, come please. It's my boss. It's Frank Best." Traci said as she peered through the tall thin window beside the front door. Fear suddenly began to grow inside her with each passing second.

"Traci, Mrs. Nash." Frank said calmly as Traci slowly opened the door. The flickering of red lights, from a police cruiser parked on the street, flashed across the house.

"I need the two of you to come to the station. I have Shaw here, in a police cruiser, to take us."

"Why?...Frank...what has happened."

"There has been a development."

Traci almost immediately began to feel light-headed as she grasped the frame of the door with one hand and the doorknob with the other with such force her knuckles turned white. The pounding in her head grew louder with each beat of her rapidly increasing heart rate. Her knees became weak and started to buckle under her.

"Whoa, whoa Traci!" Frank said as he reached to support her just as she started to crumble into a heap.

Mrs. Nash reached to help support Traci on her left side as Frank supported her on the right. Slowly they sat her down in the open doorway. Frank and Mrs. Nash both bent down to face Traci.

"Traci! Look at me." Frank said with an authoritative commanding officer voice. He knew his officer was about to lose control. Any mother would, with the situation Traci had been in over the last few months. Right now though, he needed her focused. The only way he knew how to possibly pull Traci from the place her emotions were taking her and back into "neutral cop" mode was by becoming her superior. He needed to take control of the situation and give her a direct order. Try to get her to focus.

"I received a phone call a short while ago from the detective in charge of Leo's disappearance at the Barrie Police Department. He was contacted earlier this evening by a Staff Sergeant with the Vancouver Police Department. Two of his officers took a young boy into police custody earlier today. They have him at the Vancouver General Hospital. Traci...he claims his name is Leo Nash-Davis. We are not saying, for sure, it is Leo, but there are enough similarities that Vancouver PD felt compelled to pick up the phone and call Detective Adams in Barrie. Traci...I need you and your mom to come."

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	7. Chapter 7

**It's Thursday and that means at 10:00 tonight a new episode of Rookie Blue will be showing in Canada. It will probably be a hard episode, just like the last one. I think Sam and Andy are about to hit a rough patch, but as Tassie Cameron said on her Twitter account "I think Sandy fans will find the finale quite riveting and getting there is half the fun.", plus I heard Ben Bass on a radio talk show and he said that Tassie Cameron told both him and Missy that she intends for their characters to be the "love story of the century". I'm confident everything will eventually, with lots of drama in between, work out in true Rookie Blue fashion. I am a Sandy / McSwarek fan. Thank you to all readers, followers, reviewers and those who have marked this story as a **favourite**. Hope you enjoy this chapter.**

Traci looked back and forth between her mother and Frank as tears began to spill from her eyes.

"Baby girl! We need to go." Mrs. Nash said in the type of voice only a mother knows how to project. It was calm, and full of love, but yet stern.

"You need to get up and we have to leave."

Traci nodded.

"Frank can you help me please?" Mrs. Nash asked.

"Yes Ma'am."

"Okay, now Traci! On three we are going to help you up. Ready!"

Traci nodded and after her mother said three, and with the help of Frank and her mom Traci stood up. With her mother's help Traci put her jacket on and slipped a pair of shoes onto her feet. A few minutes later Mrs. Nash and Frank helped Traci into the back seat of the squad car.

"Jerry! I forgot to call Jerry. I have to call Jerry."

"Traci, relax. I called him and said I needed him to come into the station. He thinks it has to do with an investigation he is working on. We'll tell him when he gets to station."

"Dex, his parents!"

"My detective counterpart in Barrie has sent a squad car to the Davis cottage. They are having Dex brought into the station there. If his parents are with him they will take them too. If his parents are in Toronto I'll send someone to get them. Traci, relax."

"I have Epstein, at the station, working with a Vancouver General Hospital IT specialist who is aiding the Vancouver PD, and a police computer analyst at the Barrie police station. They are trying to set up a three-way video link. We are trying to get a hold of one of our IT guys to come in to help, but we haven't been able to get hold of anyone."

At the station Noelle sat patiently at her desk gently wheeling a sleeping five and a half month old Chloë back and forth in her pram. Secretly she was grateful that Chloë was sleeping and she could wheel her. It gave her something to do. Not that she did not enjoy a wide awake Chloë, nor did a wide awake Chloë not keep her busy it was just that she needed something to do while she waited, that helped her to use up some of the nervous energy she was experiencing, but was quiet too. It was difficult to explain, but between the background hum of the normal chaos of the station and the gentle wheeling of the pram Noelle seemed to be able to keep her emotions level. Frank had been at her and Chloë's place when he received the call from the Barrie PD. As soon as Frank told her he had to leave for the station, and the reason why, she had told him to wait two seconds. Quickly she grabbed her own jacket and slipped it on before disappearing into Chloë's room. There she gently picked up the sleeping baby, wrapped her in a little pink sleeper coat before returning to the front door of, the apartment with, Chloe in her arms.

"There is no way I am not going to be present to support Traci. The entire 15th has prayed for this day for months. Whether this boy turns out to be Leo or someone else I want to be there for Traci. I need to be there. Now get the diaper bag and pram and let's go. Oh! We're taking your car and you're driving. Chloe's car seat is still installed in your car."

Frank knew the second Noelle began to talk that he was defeated and that there was no room for argument. The easiest thing to do was pick up Chloe's bag, place it in the stroller and wheel everything out to the parking lot with Noelle walking beside him carrying the baby and her purse.

Oliver pulled into the parking lot of the 15th with sirens squealing and lights flashing in record time. This was going to be either the biggest celebration the 15th had ever experienced or well he didn't even want to think about the disappointment.

Epstein was in Frank's office sitting in front of both a computer screen and a laptop and heavily involved in a conference call with a Vancouver PD IT specialist and a Barrie PD systems analyst when Frank entered with Traci and Mrs. Nash.

Dov motioned to them that it would be a couple more minutes.

Andy and Sam came through the station after having dropped off a drunk driver at booking. Seeing Noelle and the baby sitting at the desk Andy told Sam to wait a moment. She wanted to see Chloë a second. As they approached Sam glanced at Frank's office and realized immediately something had happened.

"Andy! Andy! Something has happened."

"What!"

"Frank's office, look!" Sam motioned with a nod of his head.

Just then Oliver came walking in.

"Noelle, what's going on?" Andy asked.

"There's been a development in Leo's case. I really don't know much more."

Jerry entered a few minutes later. Oliver caught his attention and motioned him over to tell him the real reason he had been called to the station.

"There has been a development in Leo's case."

"I should be with her."

"Buddy, stay here with us. Give her a minute. You'll know when it is the right time for you to go in there." Oliver replied quietly.

A few moments later Dov and his counterparts had managed to get the video link between Vancouver, Barrie and Toronto working.

Officer Stockwell from the Vancouver Police Department sat in front of two laptops in a small IT office at the Vancouver General Hospital.

Staring back at him were his counterparts in Toronto and Barrie as well as two very anxious parents.

"Hello, I'm Officer Derek Stockwell of the Vancouver PD."

**Love to know what you think.**


	8. Chapter 8

**I would like to thank everyone who has read, reviewed, followed and marked this story as favorite. Hope you all enjoy this chapter. **

"Hello, I'm Officer Derek Stockwell of the Vancouver PD."

"I'm Staff Sergeant Frank Best of the 15th Division in Toronto. This is Officer Traci Nash and Leo Nash-Davis's mother."

"I'm Detective Joseph Adams of the Barrie Police Department and this is Leo Nash-Davis's father Dex Davis.

"It is nice to meet all of you. My partner and I took a boy into protective custody earlier today. The couple, who were with him, claim his name is Devon Jessop and that he is their son. While I spoke to the couple my partner was able to talk to the child alone. He told her his name use to be Leo Nash-Davis. His parents changed his name to Devon when they adopted him."

Traci sat with her mouth gaping open.

"Adopted...I...we...never gave our son up for adoption."

"I know you didn't. We believe the boy has been lead to believe that he was. He is with my partner and a representative from children services in the room next door. I know you are anxious to see him and I promise I'll have him brought in here in a few moments. We just need to go over a couple of things first."

"It is important that you do not call him by his name or say you are his mom or dad in any way. We need him to recognize you and to identify you as his mom and dad. I understand that grandparents are present as well. We need him to identify them. It is possible that he will be able to identify both Miss Nash and Mr. Davis even if he is not Leo. Your photos appeared in newspapers. His grandparent's images did not. Does everyone understand?"

Both Traci and Dex confirmed they understood. All his grandparents although they were sitting off camera they had been listening and all confirmed they understood.

"If there is some special saying or story or routine that Leo and either of you did that no one else would know about we need you to try and ask him about it. See if he can answer."

"Okay!" replied Traci.

"The last thing is that if this boy is Leo. The doctor who examined him when we brought him in would like to speak to you afterwards."

"Okay, I'm going to have my partner bring him in now. Are you both ready? Do you want to take a moment?"

"I'm ready. I...I want to see my baby."

"I have never been so ready for anything in my life. I want to see my son." Dex answered.

Traci took hold of her mother's hand. Mrs. Nash was sitting just to her left and Frank was sitting on her right side. On the laptop screen Traci could see Dex fidgeting nervously in front of the camera. On the computer monitor Traci watched as Officer Stockwell made the phone call.

Slowly the door to the room opened and a late twenty something, tall, slim built, attractive Asian, uniform clad female officer and a fifty-ish, shorter, plump, blonde woman entered the room guiding a young boy. The officer directed the child into the seat that her partner had occupied a few moments before. She then bent down beside him and had him look at the monitors.

"Hi, I am Officer Nicola Chung of the Vancouver Police Department."

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Let me know what you think.**


	9. Chapter 9

**I would like to thank everyone who has been reading, reviewing, following and marking my story as a favorite. It is wonderful to see people enjoying what I have written. This chapter took awhile to compose, but I think I am very happy with the result. Let me know what you think.**

"Hi, I am Officer Nicola Chung of the Vancouver Police Department."

Traci and Dex knew the second they laid eyes on the boy that it was Leo. His hair was shorter and it looked like it had been streaked with blonde highlights and he appeared thinner, but it was definitely him.

It took everything Traci had not to cry out his name. Instead she squeezed her mother's hand and bit her bottom lip.

For a moment the child sat staring at the screens almost in shock. Then he slowly raised his right hand and placed his finger tips on the screen where Dex's image was, slowly gliding his fingers down the screen as if stroking the image before him.

"Dad...dy!" He whispered.

"Are you real?"

"Yes buddy, I am...real."

"You're dead. They told me you were dead. That's why mom...had to put...me up for adoption. They said she couldn't afford me. You have to be a ghost?"

"No, no, no...I was hurt bad, but I didn't die. The doctors have been helping me to get better. I am very much alive. I'm not a ghost. Mommy never put you up for adoption."

He then moved his hand over the monitor where Traci's face could be seen and stroked her image.

"Mommy!"

"They said you put me up for adoption. Why? Why...couldn't you afford me? I would have eaten less. You could have kept me." Leo choked as tears began to spill from his eyes.

"No Sweetheart, I never put you up for adoption. You were told a lie. You were taken from us."

"Buddy, your mom and I have looked for you since the day you left. I didn't die. Your mom didn't put you up for adoption."

"Leo, son...I would like you to look at this a moment." Officer Stockwell said as he handed Leo a copy of the flyer his family had been distributing to schools in Ontario and was available for download on both the web page Dov had created and the web page for the national missing children's organization Leo had been registered with by Traci.

"You were not put up for adoption. You were taken without your parent's permission. Your family and friends have been looking for you every day since you were taken."

Officer Chung wiped Leo's eyes with a kleenex and then encouraged him to take a deep breath and calm down.

"There now...you are doing really well Leo. Take another deep breath and then try to read the flyer for a few minutes. Take your time, there is no need to rush."

As Leo read the flyer he kept glancing up at the screens where his parents were watching. Occasionally he would look at Officer Chung.

"You've been looking for me?" Leo asked quietly.

"Yes!" Dex and Traci replied at the same time.

"Everything was a lie?"

"Yes."

Everyone held their breath as they watched Leo silently process everything that had been said over the last few minutes. He stroked his finger tips across both of their images on the monitors before focusing back at the flyer. After re-reading sections, of the flyer, Leo looked back up and once again stroked both of his parents images.

With an unsure look on his face Leo asked in a quiet, quivering voice. "Can...can I come home?"

Traci and Dex both let out the breath they were holding.

"Absolutely! We will bring you home as soon as possible. I'll come and get you if I have to." Dex replied.

"I have wanted you to come home since the day you left. I have missed you so much. Yes, you can come home." Traci said.

"I really want to come home." Leo replied quietly.

"Leo we love you, and we want you home. You're our little boy." Traci replied.

"Leo honey, there is someone here who wants to say hello to you. Okay!"

"Who is it mommy?"

"Just a moment." Traci said.

Mrs. Nash leaned over to face the monitor.

"Grandma! I'm coming home Grandma. Mom said I can come home." Leo said excitedly.

"Yes baby, I know. I can't wait to see you. I love you."

"Can you make me your famous chicken soup and warm biscuits?"

"I am going to go home and make a big pot of soup and a batch of biscuits right away. Just for you sweetheart. They'll be ready for when you get home."

"Okay!" A smiling Leo replied.

"I have a couple of people who want to say hello to you as well" Dex said as his mother bent down to look over his right shoulder and his father bent down to look over his left shoulder in order to face the monitor camera.

"Grannie! Granddad!"

"We're here and we cannot wait to see you."

"Can we all go fishing when I come home?"

"Yes, we will all go fishing. Everyone you want to go fishing can go fishing. We'll have a big fishing party." Granddad replied.

"Okay!" Leo said as he nodded his head and gave a small smile.

"Leo!" Traci said quietly.

"Yea!"

"Leo, who dances with Luna?"

"Luna dances only with earth. Luna is the moon and it is earth's only natural satellite. Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto all dance with the centre star of the Milky Way the Sun. It means that although Luna only dances with Earth, the Earth likes to dance with both Luna and the sun."

"That's right sweetheart, you remember."

"You taught it to me. Every night we use lay in my bed, just before I would go to sleep, and stare at the glow in the dark stars and planets on the ceiling of my room. You taught me about Luna, the sun and all the planets. I told you I wanted to be an astronaut and you said I needed to know all the planets if I wanted to be an astronaut."

Leo and his family spoke for a few more moments, before they had to say good night to each other and Officer Chung removed Leo from the room.

"I think we have confirmed that this child is Leo." Officer Stockwell stated smiling.

"I want to come and get him. I want to bring my baby home." Traci said.

"I'm coming as well." Dex said.

"Calm down, we are already having our Staff Sergeant's secretary look into making arrangements for Leo to be returned to Toronto. Honestly, by the time you both arrive here to collect him, we could already have him home in Toronto."

"I don't want him to have to fly on an airplane home by himself." Traci replied. "I'm coming to get him. I'll pay for the tickets. I don't care how much they cost."

"Calm down Miss Nash. He won't fly alone. Either Officer Chung, our friend here from children's services or I will accompany him. Do not worry about paying right now. There are funds available to us to help pay when a situation like this arises. We will contact your Staff Sergeant and Detective Adams as soon as we have all the details. Please don't worry. Now, I believe Mrs. Landry, from children services, would like to speak to you a moment."

"Hi, I'm Connie Landry. I will be contacting children's services in Toronto. There will be some papers you will have to sign when Leo arrives in Toronto. Don't panic. Please be assured, Leo will go home with you when he arrives. My colleague will meet you at the airport. The next thing is that the police will need to interview Leo shortly. He is going to be taken to the police station and spoken to there. I know neither of you are able to be present, but I want you to know that Leo will not be alone during questioning. I will there, and I have a children's rights lawyer meeting us at the station who will be present as well. We will make sure Leo is only asked questions pertaining to the case, his rights are protected, he is only questioned for a reasonable amount of time, and he is not badgered."

"I don't know if I like this." Dex replied with concern in his voice.

"No, they have to interview him. We have no choice." Traci said.

"What!"

"Dex, they need to ask him questions and get the answers from him now while everything is fresh in his mind."

"Are you saying you agree with this?"

"I don't like it anymore than you do, but I know how the process works. The information, in Leo's brain, right now is fresh. If they interview him now the possibility he will leave out a small detail is slim. We need this case to be rock solid. Any information Leo gives now, no matter how insignificant it seems, will be reviewed. He could remember and tell them the one piece of information that will turn out to be the detail that will lead to a guilty verdict. Dex...we really don't have a choice, but even if we did, as a cop, I would allow Leo to be questioned."

"Okay...I understand the reasoning. I don't like it Trac...we're not even there with him."

"I know we're not."

Dex shook his head. "I understand and I agree, but I really don't like this."

"I know you both don't, but I thank-you for trying to understand. The doctor who treated Leo has just entered the room. I am going to go and sit with Leo and Officer Chung now and give the doctor an opportunity to speak with the two of you. Congratulations on your son's recovery. He seems like a great little guy."

"Thank-you, he is...promise you will take really good care of him for us." Traci replied as tears slowly ran down her cheeks.

"I will, I promise." Replied Mrs. Landry as she stood up in preparation to leave the room.

"Hello, I'm Dr. Singh. I'm one of the ER doctors here at the Vancouver General Hospital. I understand that it has now been confirmed that the child I treated is your son."

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	10. Chapter 10

**Thank-you to everyone who has read, reviewed, followed and marked my story as favorite. It makes my day when I hear feed back from readers. Hope you enjoy this new chapter. Let me know what you think.**

"Hello, I'm Dr. Singh. I'm one of the ER doctors here at the Vancouver General Hospital. I understand that it has now been confirmed that the child I treated is your son,"

"Yes." Both Traci and Dex replied.

"Okay, physically he seems to be fine. Other than being about 10 pounds underweight, he appears to be healthy. There is no physical evidence that he has been assaulted sexually."

A wave of relief could be seen passing over both Traci and Dex's faces.

"I am concerned with his mental health. I had a child therapist come down to emergency and speak with Leo. We both agree that he is suffering from depression and possibly anxiety. Do you have a family doctor?"

"Yes." Traci replied biting her lower lip.

"Do you have his information with you?"

"Yes,"

"Could I get that information now please? I'd like to contact my colleague, in Toronto tomorrow, and speak to them. I'll fax my report to their office. Leo does need to be properly diagnosed and treated. He has been through a traumatic ordeal. He was ripped away from his "life" and mentally manipulated for months. He is going to need time, patience and understanding to re-adjust. I urge you to seek help, for him and yourselves, when he returns home."

Both Traci and Dex assured everyone they would take Leo for an appointment and arrange for individual and family counselling. Traci gave Dr. Singh the information to Leo's doctor in Toronto.

"Thank-you, I'm glad your son has been found and I wish you all the best."

"Thank-you," Traci and Dex replied.

Officer Stockwell spoke to Traci, Dex and his two counterparts for a few more minutes before officially ending the video link.

Dov, who had been sitting off to the side slowly came over and quietly shut everything down. Traci sat and stared at the blank dark monitors for a moment.

"Um, if you don't mind Frank, I think...I would like to just sit here for a while."

"Of course, take all the time you need."

"Mom, would you stay with me?"

Mrs. Nash nodded. "Yes, baby girl."

"Frank, would you and Dov go and tell everyone waiting that Leo is coming home, for me?"

"Yes, are you sure you don't want to tell them yourself?"

Traci shook her head. "No, I don't think I can. I'm too emotional right now to speak, but I don't want to keep them waiting any longer. I think I just want to sit here for awhile."

"Okay, Epstein and I will tell them."

"Frank!"

"Yes."

"After you tell them, can you ask Jerry to come in here?"

"I will and Traci...congratulations."

"Congratulations Traci." Dov said quietly while giving Traci's shoulder a small squeeze as he walked by her to leave Frank's office.

"Thank-you." Traci replied quietly.

A few moments later loud cheers and clapping were heard coming from around Noelle's desk where not only had Noelle, Andy, Sam, Oliver and Jerry congregated but Gail, Chris, Nick and several other members of the 15th had patiently been waiting.

After his interview at the police station, Leo was placed into the official custody of Officer Chung for the evening. Not only was she a police officer, but a registered child and youth worker. She had actually worked, for two years, in the profession before applying and being accepted to the police academy. As well, she was a registered foster parent. Arrangements were made for her and Leo to spend the night at a Hampton Inn in downtown Vancouver as the earliest flight to Toronto that could accommodate the two didn't leave until 12:30 the next afternoon. All Leo had were the clothes he was wearing. The home he had been residing in, for almost a year, was now considered a crime scene. Officer Chung tried but, was unsuccessful in her attempt to have a detective remove some of Leo's belongings and bring them to the station. Fortunately Mrs. Landry was able to secure a knapsack, designed for a nine year old boy, from the offices of Children Services and $100.00. The knapsack contained a toothbrush and toothpaste, deodorant, a comb and brush as well as some story books and school supplies. With the money Mrs. Landry and Officer Chung took Leo to a department store, near the hotel, and bought him a pair of jeans, a golf shirt, and a package of white socks, some underwear and a set of pyjamas. He was now set for the night and his trip home.

Jerry eventually drove Mrs. Nash and Traci home. Mrs. Nash entered her house and headed straight to the kitchen to begin to prepare her famous chicken noodle soup and biscuit dough. She didn't care that it was 1:30 in the morning. Her grandbaby was coming home and had asked her to make him her soup and biscuits. If soup and biscuits was what he wanted then soup and biscuits were going to be ready for him when he arrived home. A big pot of soup, ready to eat, just as she had promised. In fact she would make two giant pots and have three batches of biscuit dough made and ready to bake. Jerry came in to join his two favourite ladies, but not before opening the trunk of his car and pulling out two bottles of champagne from a hidden compartment. He had purchased the bottles a month after Leo had disappeared and had vowed they would not be brought out or opened until he came home. He decided tonight they would open one and each drink a glass. The other they would open when Leo official arrived home.

Dex and his parents left the Barrie Police Station, made a short stop at the cottage, before driving to Toronto to spend the night at their home there. Dex had worked tirelessly with both his occupational therapist and physiotherapist over the last few months. His hand, eye co-ordination was 95 % back which meant he had recently been cleared to return to work part-time. His leg was still not great, but at least he was now walking with a cane instead of a walker. He tired easily but, like his parents, wanted to head straight to the city anyways. His son was coming home.

A joint statement from the Vancouver PD, the Barrie PD and the Toronto PD was released to the press at 5:00 am the next morning Vancouver time. It simply stated that two officers from the Vancouver PD, investigating a tip from a member of the public, had taken a young boy into protective custody the previous afternoon. He was later identified as Leo Nash-Davis. A Toronto child who had gone missing, nearly 11 months ago, from his family's cottage located on the shores of Lake Simcoe near Barrie, Ontario. The Nash and Davis families have been notified and arrangements are being made to have Leo returned to Ontario as soon as possible. The families have asked for their privacy to be respected at this time.

Newspapers, radio stations and TV news stations quickly jumped on the news. The entire country woke to hear of Leo's recovery. The Vancouver Police Chief's office received so many requests for interviews that a news conference was called for 4:00 pm Vancouver time. By then Leo would be in Toronto and already reunited with his family.

Jerry drove Traci and Mrs. Nash to the airport an hour and a half before Leo was due to arrive. Traci had taken her badge out of her purse and left it at home on purpose. She did not want to meet her son as a police officer. She wanted to greet Leo as his mom. In her arms she carried the gift she had purchased, wrapped and placed under the tree last December in hope he would be home in time to open it Christmas day. Mrs. Nash carried a thermos full of her famous chicken soup, a spoon and three buttered biscuits in her over sized handbag. They located the airport security office, identified themselves and met the representative from child services. Shortly afterwards they were all escorted inside the arrival gates to a private waiting area where Dex, his parents, siblings and their spouses as well as Detective Adams of the Barrie Police were already present. Granddad sat patiently holding Leo's fishing rod. Moment's later security arrived with a large group of Toronto's finest. Andy, Sam, Oliver, Gail, Nick, Chris, Dov, Noelle, Chloe, Frank and even Luke came in chatting, carrying helium filled balloons and smiling.

"What are you all...how did you all get time off work to be here?"

"Traci, I had several officers ask to work overtime or come in on their day off so that your friends could be here with you." Frank answered.

"Trac! There is no way we were going to miss this. We have all been praying for this day for months." Andy said.

"Thank-you." Traci said, tears spilling from her eyes as she hugged Andy.

Forty five minutes later at 6:28 pm a West Jet plane taxied into a landing bay at Toronto's Pearson International Airport carrying two very special guests.

"Attention please! This is your captain speaking. We are approaching our designated landing bay. Please remain in your seats for a few moments after the aircraft has come to a complete stop. We have airport security waiting just outside the landing bay doors to help two passengers off of the plane. Thank you for your co-operation."

"Leo, we've landed. It's time to go." Officer Chung said smiling as she stood up and reached for her overnight bag in the luggage compartment above her seat.

"Come on honey." She said as she guided Leo to walk in front of her down the aisle of the plane.

Suddenly a gentleman stood up, in front of his seat, and began to slowly clap. A moment later another passenger stood up and began to clap. One by one passengers stood up and clapped as Leo and Officer Chung walked down the aisle of the plane. There had been some whispering among passengers, during the flight, as to whether or not Leo was the boy from the news, but once Leo and Officer Chung wearing her uniform stood up and began to walk down the aisle of the plane there was no doubt, in any of the passengers minds as to who the child was.

"Welcome home Leo. It was a pleasure to have you on board with us this afternoon." The stewardesses said as Leo stepped off the plane.

Two Pearson International Security Guards met Leo and Officer Chung as they walked off of the plane.

"Welcome home Leo. Did you have a good flight?"

Leo slipped his hand into Officer Chung's hand and nodded to the guards.

Officer Chung and the Security Guards exchanged ID's quickly.

"Thank-you Officer Chung. If you and Leo will follow us we'll take you to where everyone is waiting."

A few minutes later, as the foursome walked down a rounded hallway, Officer Chung still holding Leo's hand asked the security guards to stop for a moment. From their location she could see Leo's family, but because of the way the wall rounded they could not see them.

"Come over here a minute Leo, by the wall. I want you to see something."

A second later Officer Chung bent down to face Leo.

"Sweetheart, look down the hall and tell me what you see."

"I see my mom!...and Granddad!" Leo replied excitedly.

"They are all waiting down there for you. Do you remember what we were talking about last night, in the hotel room, just before I put you to bed?"

"Uh hah, I told you about my baseball team. The one I played for in Barrie. Where my daddy lives."

"Yes, you did. You told me how you could run faster around the bases than anyone else on your team."

"I could. I got three home runs because I ran so fast. I didn't hit the ball all that far, but because I ran so fast I ended up getting home runs."

"You know, I think that the distance from here to where your family is would be the same distance all the way around a baseball diamond."

Leo looked down the hallway again a huge smile forming on his face as he realized what Officer Chung was saying.

"Go Leo; show me how fast you can run. I'll be behind you. GO!"

A moment later, at top speed, on the day he turned 9 years old, Leo Nash-Davis with tears brimming in his eyes, and crying out "I'm here! I'm here!" sprinted down a hallway at Pearson International Airport to a room filled with his "real" extended family and for the first time in 10 months and 28 days leapt into their wide open arms.

Leo was home.

He was no longer lost. With his return, to his rightful family, that chapter of Leo's life was over, but as the door to the chapter was closing the door to the next chapter was slowly opening.

**What did you think?**


	11. Chapter 11

**Thank-you to everyone who has read, reviewed, followed and marked this story as favourite. I believe there will be one, perhaps two more chapters to this story. The reasons behind Leo's abduction need to be explained and how everyone copes with his return should be explored. Hope you enjoy this chapter. Leave me a review. They really do make my day.**

Leo was no longer lost. With his return, to his rightful family, that chapter of Leo's life was over, but as the door to the chapter was closing the door to the next chapter was slowly opening.

At the airport there were smiles, cheers, hugs, kisses and tears. Mrs. Nash invited everyone back to the house for soup and biscuits, but all except immediate family declined. They all felt the same, today was all about family. Leo needed time to reconnect with family and adjust. There would be plenty of time for celebrations in the coming days and weeks. The only three who were not permitted to say "no" were Jerry, Detective Adams and Officer Chung.

Jerry drove Traci, Mrs. Nash and Leo back to the house. Leo sat in the back seat with Traci and would not let go of her hand. He asked her once at the airport and twice in the car if she really did not give him up for adoption. Traci patiently told him "no" each time that he was too precious to her and that she could never give him away. He was stolen. Each time Traci could see Leo struggling to process the information. Dr. Singh had warned them that it would take time, love, patience and understanding for Leo to adjust and Traci could already see that they had a journey ahead of them.

On arrival to his grandmother's house, Leo was amazed to find everything was the same as when he left. His photographs were hanging up and his schoolwork was still clipped to the kitchen fridge. When he went upstairs, to see his room, he couldn't believe his eyes. Everything was there; his clothes, his toys, his artwork...everything. He was sure that it would all be gone and by now with the room changed into either a guest room or a sewing room for his grandmother. He stood in the middle of the room, gazing around completely awestruck for a few moments before racing over to hug his grandmother as tight as he could around the waist while saying "thank-you, thank-you, I love you" over and over. Mrs. Nash did not care how long Leo wanted to stand and hug her. She wrapped her arms around him and told him how much she loved him back and how she would never take away his room. Over the last eleven months all she prayed for was to be able to hold Leo in her arms one more time and tell him she loved him. God answered her prayers and she was just going to enjoy her moment with Leo.

Minutes later he unravelled his arms from around his grandmother and slowly walked over to his mother, who was sitting on his bed watching. He threw his arms around her neck as tears began to spill from his eyes. "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry for being angry at you." he choked out. It was the first of many turning points Leo and his family would experience over the next several months. Seeing that nothing had changed caused all the heated emotions he had felt, over the last few months, towards his mother for giving him away to crumble. The doubts he experienced over the last 24 hours as to whether Traci had lied to him when she had said she did not give him up for adoption to fade. Traci held him, on her lap, as he sobbed and shed the anger and doubts from his soul. When his crying subsided and his body relaxed she gave him small kisses on his tear streaked cheeks and told him how much she loved him and how she had prayed everyday that God would help her find him and let her bring him home.

Eventually they walked hand and hand back down the stairs and joined the rest of Leo's family. Everyone, on arrival, congregated in the living room and were all patiently waiting for the two to join them. No one was in a rush. Everyone knew Leo had a long road ahead of him. The best thing they could do was love him and be patient, understanding, and supportive. Actually, while waiting, they were all rather amused with the amount of "Welcome Home" and "Happy Birthday" helium filled balloons members of the 15th gave to Leo at the airport. They were sure that Traci's colleagues must have bought out the party store's entire stock. There were so many that it took three family vehicles to bring them all back from the airport. Surprisingly, Mrs. Nash did manage to find places, throughout her home, to put every single balloon.

Leo and Traci joined everyone in the living room until Mrs. Nash ushered her guests to her dining room to enjoy bowls of soup and servings of warm buttered biscuits. Leo could not get enough of his grandmother's soup and biscuits. He ate the entire contents of the thermos Mrs. Nash had taken to the airport with her as well as two other bowls full. Traci wasn't sure how many biscuits he ate. She lost track after three.

Leo's reaction to Dex was a little worrisome until everyone silently realized that Leo for the last several months believed Dex was dead. He kept going over and touching Dex's face and then stating, "your real". It happened several times before Leo seemed to accept the fact that Dex was alive and not a ghost.

"Leo has grown." Mrs. Davis commented to Traci's mom.

"He has grown. I noticed at the airport." Mrs. Nash replied.

The two women, over the years, had come to respect each other. The relationship started out "rocky". The first time they met was in the office of a councillor with the Children's Aid to discuss Traci's pregnancy. Needless to say, neither impressed the other. Over the years though, things changed as both realized they had similar interests. Front and foremost, both women loved Leo. He was the first grandchild on either side of his family. Both women wanted Leo's parents to try to finish high school and move on to college. Eventually both women came together in support of their common interests and goals. Today they did call each other friend. Perhaps not the best of friends, but they were friends.

"I have a feeling that none of his clothes are going to fit. They are still all up in his room. Traci and I just couldn't bring ourselves to empty his drawers or closet."

"We couldn't either. All his clothes, from last summer, are still at the cottage in Barrie."

"Did you notice if he had a bag with him at the airport?" Mrs. Davis questioned.

"I believe he just had a knapsack. I'll have to ask Traci."

Both women looked at each other and smiled. They had not been able to "grandmother spoil" Leo for almost a year. Each knew what the other was thinking. Perhaps a shopping trip, to a local mall, would be required sometime in the next day or two. They were correct in their observation. Leo did need new clothes. Two days after Leo returned there was a visit to "Fairview Mall" where between Traci, Dex and his grandparents, Leo was soon outfitted with a new wardrobe.

Detective Adams left shortly after the dinner hour, taking Officer Chung with him. Leo was unsure of Officer Chung leaving. He had formed a "victim saviour" emotional bond with her over the last 24 hours. She gave him a big hug, at the door, and promised him she would see him one more time before she returned to Vancouver. She was actually scheduled to spend the next four days in Barrie as a police liaison between the Barrie PD and the Vancouver PD. The crime had occurred in Barrie, but Leo was located in Vancouver. The Vancouver PD were the ones who arrested the Jessop's and were the ones who obtained the search warrants to investigate the home where Leo was residing for the last few months. The two police departments were working together to build a case against the Jessop's and to have the Jessop's returned to Ontario for trial. The initial crime occurred in Barrie and therefore the trial would be held in Barrie or Toronto.

Traci and Dex took Leo to their family doctor. for an appointment, the day after he returned. Dr. Smyth gave Leo a quick check-up and started the process to have him and his parents referred to a pediatric psychiatrist for both individual and family therapy. Even as an emergency case it would take two weeks before Leo and his family could be assigned an appointment.

In the meantime the Dr. Smyth recommended that the family try to return to the routines Leo was accustomed to before his abduction. He was use to living with Traci and her mother and spending every other week-end with Dex. The doctor recommended keeping with that arrangement.

"Is there somewhere in the city that you and Leo could stay?" Dr. Smyth asked Dex.

"We can stay at my parent's home here in the city."

"You have to realize that I am not a psychiatrist. My specialty is family medicine, but I do have some knowledge of therapy. It is just that I don't know if it would be wise to take Leo to the cottage in Barrie at the moment. That is where he was abducted. It could be traumatic for him to return there so soon. I think you should wait until he starts therapy before allowing him to return to the cottage."

Dex agreed and subconsciously decided that if Leo was not comfortable leaving Mrs. Nash's home he would not force the situation. He and Leo could simply go out for the day and return in the evening. Leo could spend the night at his grandmother's house.

"The other thing is I do recommend you try to get Leo back to school. I know there is only three more weeks of school left till the summer vacation starts, but register him anyways at his old school. Let him reconnect with his old friends and teachers. It will be a familiar surrounding and you will be surprised at how quickly he will adjust. Plus many of the teachers there will be familiar with Leo's personality before the abduction. They will notice if there are any changes that you will need to address when he begins therapy."

"We can go to the school tomorrow and make arrangements for Leo to start next week." Traci replied.

"Good...be patient with him. Problems may arise that you would not even think of in a million years. One thing is that he will probably be clingy for a period of time. Don't worry. It is only natural. It will take time, but I believe Leo will move forward. He will never completely get over what happened to him, but he will move forward and have a productive life. Call anytime. I'll find a moment to see Leo or either one of you."

Five days later Traci was back in Dr. Smyth's office. He was right. A problem had arisen that Traci never would have considered.

"Leo...I'm not sure...it seems he doesn't want to go to sleep. He is dead tired and yet he won't go to sleep. I can actually see him fighting sleep. It seems like he wants to stay awake."

"I take it he does eventually fall asleep."

"Yes, but he isn't going to sleep until after midnight and he wakes up at 7:00 the next morning."

"I believe he is scared to go sleep. I think Leo is frightened that if he goes to sleep he will wake up and be back in Vancouver. Whether it is subconsciously or consciously. Leo is not sure if this is a dream or not."

"What!"

"Might I suggest you get him a cell phone? Nothing fancy, just a phone that you can program in three or four numbers. Teach him to use the phone and help him to program your cell number, his father's cell number and his grandmother's home phone number into the phone. It would be a good idea to help him to memorize those three numbers. Make sure he can recite them back to you and then teach him to dial a land line phone."

"I don't understand."

"When it is bedtime, tell him to take the phone and place it in a pocket in his pyjamas. He can sleep with it all night. Tell him that if he wakes up and if he is not in his room he can take his phone from his pocket and call you, his dad and his grandmother and tell all of you where he is. You will all come and get him. If he doesn't have his phone he knows all your phone numbers. The first phone he sees he can pick it up and call. He knows your number and he knows how to use a phone."

"Wow...I would never have thought of any of that."

"Give it a try. I think it will get him to go to sleep at a decent hour. It won't matter where he wakes up because he now knows how to contact his family.

"I will. I'll take him after school today to pick out a phone."

"Good, how is Leo making out at school?"

Traci smiled as she replied. "I went to pick him up after the first day back at his old school. He came out of the building chatting, laughing and bouncing with all his old friends. It was as if he had never left."

"He will adjust. Probably more quickly to some things than to others. I know he starts therapy next week. Come see me sometime and let me know how you are all making out."

"I will. Thank-you." Traci said as she prepared to leave Dr. Smyth's office.

That night Leo went to bed at 8:30 and fell asleep fifteen minutes later. Traci went to check on him at 9:00. She stood leaning against the door frame of his room, smiling.

_"Dr. Smyth was right." She said to herself while shaking her head._

**What do you think? Let me know. There is more to come.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hi everyone! Like to thank you all for reading, reviewing, following and marking my story as favorite. Hope you enjoy this chapter.  
**

**Vancouver**,** British Columbia**

Both the Vancouver PD and the Barrie PD were working together to build a case against Julian and Theresa Jessop. Although Leo was found living with them, it did not prove they were the ones who actually abducted him or beat Dex. They were able to charge them with some offences and hold them without bail, but they needed more evidence.

Detective Bailey, the lead investigator, stood in the observation room and watched through the two-way mirror as Officer Stockwell interviewed Julian Jessop for a third time in two days.

"We're not getting anywhere interviewing either one of the Jessop's." Detective Bailey said to Dr. Tran, a police psychiatrist.

"Actually, we are, just watch a minute longer."

"Okay Doc, but he is just repeating everything he said the last two times we interviewed him."

"I know, and what did his wife say the three times you interviewed her?"

"The exact same thing every single time. His name is not Leo. It is Devon, and he is our boy. Where is he? I want to see him. He has always lived with us. He is our boy. We do not know anything about this boy Leo. I do not know why Devon would tell you he is adopted."

"I know and that is the key."

"The key Doc?"

"It's too coordinated. It's rehearsed. They're prepared. Let's pretend Leo is the Jessop's son and we brought them in to discuss Leo's parentage. Their answers to the same questions would be similar, but they would not be exactly word for word. It would not matter how many times we interviewed them. Their answers would not be exactly the same word for word every single time. There would be variations. For instance, we have asked both of them several times, "When did Leo come to live with you?" The response from both of the Jessop's has been, "His name is not Leo. It is Devon, and he is our boy. He has always lived with us". Normally, if I were to ask a husband and wife, who had a child, that same question I would get two similar answers, but they would not be exact. The mother may say, "He has lived with us since birth." Where as the father may say, "He has lived with us since the day we brought him home from the hospital." The next time I asked them both the same question they would give answers that were similar to their first answers, but not exactly word for word. The mother next time may say, "He has lived with us since I gave birth to him." It is a similar response to her first answer, but not exactly word for word."

"How do we break them?"

"Your best bet is to work on the Mr. Jessop. He is sticking completely to the rehearsed answers and his demeanour has not changed. He refers to Leo as "the boy" and not "my son" or "my child". He does not seem to have developed an emotional bond to Leo. .Julian Jessop has not asked a single question concerning the child. Not once has he asked "Where is Leo/Devon? How is Leo/Devon? When can I see Leo/Devon?" He is very well aware that Leo is not his child. Mrs. Jessop in her first interview was calm and relaxed and, stuck to the rehearsed answers word for word. Leo was "the boy". The second and third interview she became agitated, and started to vary slightly from the rehearsed answers. She began to refer to Leo as "her son" and not "the boy". Her third interview she demanded to see "her son". In my opinion, in her mind, she has started to cross the boundaries between reality and fantasy. She has begun to believe Leo is her biological son. It probably has been happening for a while now. She is suffering from mental illness. The longer she is separated from Leo the more she will see you trying to keep her away from her child. She will become less and less co-operative and more and more agitated. She feels that if she does not co-operate you will allow her to see Leo. She's trying to trade her co-operation to get what she wishes which is a visit from Leo. I think she is use to getting her own way and she will do anything to accomplish what she desires. She is suffering from mental disease but, her sickness neither makes her stupid nor does it mean she is not manipulative. Even if you give her what she wants, I doubt you could trust her answers to your questions. She tends to twist and turn facts to get what she wants and I suspect to place blame on others. Nothing is ever her fault."

"At the moment, I feel you should work on Julian Jessop to find answers."

"You will need to present him with overwhelming solid evidence. Right now you basically only have circumstantial evidence. He is very smart, calm, relaxed, self-assured, smug and I believe he knows his wife has crossed the line between fantasy and reality. I guareentee his wife has manipulated him for years, but he is oblivious to her ways. He is aware she requires extensive therapy. He feels her testimony will not hold up in court. Leo is a child and therefore can easily be confused on a court stand. Other than Leo being in the Jessop's presence when located, he believes there is no evidence to link them to any crimes surrounding Leo's disappearance. He knows that most, if not all, of the charges against him and his wife, will be dropped due to lack of evidence. He believes he has perpetrated the perfect crime."

"We have to find concrete evidence."

"Fortunately for you there is no such thing as the perfect crime. I read, in the case file, that you took DNA samples from Leo and both of the Jessop's. Apparently both of Leo's biological parents have donated samples. Those results will prove Leo does not belong to the Jessop's, but I do not believe that those results alone will be enough to make him talk. Solid evidence that puts Julian Jessop at the original crime scene. That is how you are going to get him to start talking."

"Okay then Doc." Detective Bailey sighed as he glanced through the two-way mirror at Julian Jessop.

Over the next two days police teams in both Vancouver and Barrie worked co-operatively to try and piece together the last few years of the Jessop's lives. They established that the Jessop's had both been born and raised in the Vancouver area. Records indicated that the couple moved to Toronto, a few months after they married, and resided for fourteen years in the East York area of the city, before returning to Vancouver ten and a half months ago. Exactly two weeks after Leo's abduction.

Detective Adams and his team, with co-operation from the Toronto Police Services, investigated the Jessop's Ontario connection. Investigators went to the Jessop's former home to interview the current residents and neighbours.

At the other end of the country, Detective Bailey and his team were working tirelessly investigating the Jessop's lives in Vancouver.

Between the two police departments, documents were discovered that Theresa Jessop did give birth to a male child, at Toronto General Hospital, approximately nine years ago. Death records indicated that Devon Randall Jessop passed away seven and a half years later due to complications from Leukemia. Photographs gathered, by detectives, from the Jessop's home in Vancouver, showed an uncanny resemblance between Devon and Leo. It was virtually impossible to tell the two boys apart with the naked eye. Recognition software had to be used to prove the older photos of Devon and recent photos of Leo were in fact photos of two different children.

**Barrie, Ontario**

Dex could remember a light coloured vehicle and the letter H. It did not appear of any use until an eager young rookie, in Barrie, reviewing the Jessop's credit card statements from around the time of Leo's kidnapping, came across a charge. At first glance it did not appear of any interest. It almost seemed as if it was a charge from a restaurant. The thing was "Around the World" was not a restaurant. It was a small, independent car rental business located on the east end of Toronto. Rookie Officer Vale was familiar with the business as he had worked for the company, part-time, when he was living in Toronto with his family, and attending high school. A phone call later and Officer Vale had a fax copy of the original rental agreement in his hand. Julian Jessop had rented a Tea Green Honda CRV with AJHH being the first four letters of the license plate two days before Leo's abduction. The vehicle was returned the day after Leo was taken with enough mileage on it to cover a round trip from Toronto to Barrie. Officer Vale could not locate the vehicle on any of the traffic camera footage from the time period of the crime, but he had an idea. Several camp grounds operated in the area. Generally they were located off of small side roads and isolated. Basically away from the hustle and bustle of traffic cameras, bank cameras etc. Officer Vale and his TO went to investigate the register books at local campgrounds. The third campground they found something. The camping space was rented under a different name and paid for with cash, but the campground had recorded the license plate of the vehicle the renters were driving. It was a mandatory policy the campground management had implemented. As the owners had said, "People like to pay with cash. We have troubles sometimes with people trying to stay longer, or sneaking in and setting up a site and not paying or leaving the camping site a real mess. Trying to obtain a credit card number is virtually impossible, but a license plate we can get easy enough."

The next step was to ask the public for their help. The police issued a statement through TV and radio stations asking the public, who had stayed at the campground during the same week as the Jessop's, to send in any photos they may have taken of their vacation. The response was overwhelming and Officer Vale and his TO located what they were hoping to find. In the background of two photos, the images of Julian and Theresa Jessop could be clearly seen in front of a campsite, with the rented Tea Green coloured Honda CRV parked next to their tent.

The Jessop's could now be placed in Barrie, during the time of Leo's abduction, and Dex's statement now circumstantially placed their car at the Davis's cottage the day of the crime. The case was being built.

**Vancouver, British Columbia**

It would be a Vancouver Police Officer, training with Detective Bailey, who would uncover the next piece of evidence. Officer Martha Patel was watching the video of Leo's police interview when something Leo said caught her attention. She re-listened to the small section of the video, two more times, while frantically searching through the copy of Leo's case file the department had received electronically from the Barrie PD. Minutes later she was in Detective Bailey's office with her discovery.

"Sir, I need you to see something." Officer Patel stated as she placed a laptop down onto her superior's desk.

"Listen to what Leo says here."

"Mrs. Jessop is nice. She is not like Mr. Jessop."

"What do you mean Leo?"

"She never became angry with me over anything. She helped me with my homework everyday, she let me play with some of the kids in the neighbourhood after school and she took me places like the seashore. Mr. Jessop is really strict. Everything has to be his way. He roars and everyone has to stand at attention. He makes me watch basketball, because he likes the sport. I had to watch it on TV with him and he made me tryout for the basketball team at school. He signed me up for basketball at the rec centre. I told him I like baseball. He just got angry and told me I was playing basketball that he did not like baseball. I don't know why he said he didn't like baseball. I know he has a bat. I saw him with it in the garage at our house. I was watching, through the garage's side window. He didn't know I was there. I thought I would see where he put the bat. I was hoping to go back sometime and get it to swing around awhile. I had tried swinging a broom stick and a few different tree branches around but none of them really worked. I saw him hide it in a spot above the garage door. I tried to reach it a few times but I could never get high enough. I'm too short."

"Martha, enlighten me here because all I can tell is the child is saying he liked her better than him. She's nice and he's a controller."

"No, not that part. It's the part about the baseball bat."

"Okay..."

"Sir, the files we received from the Barrie PD state that the boy's father was hit with a blunt object repeatedly. They tested over a hundred different objects, located at the crime scene, but were never able to find the weapon. Look right here Sir." Officer Patel said as she placed the open file on Detective Bailey's desk and pointed to the section concerning Dex's injuries.

"Very good officer. Excellent police work. Come on, the search warrant is good for two more days and it includes the garage." Detective Bailey said as he stood up, grabbed his suit jacket, and headed out of his office.

"I'm coming too?"

Detective Bailey smiled and said, "Your police skills made this discovery. I think you should have the honours of following up your lead. Come on, you need to search above a garage door."

A half hour later inside the Jessop's garage.

"Okay, the video camera is set up and recording. The boy said he saw Julian Jessop place the bat above the garage door. He was watching from the side window of the garage, which means he was standing outside over there." Detective Bailey said as he accessed the scene.

"I'm going around to the side of the garage and look through that window. I need to know what Leo could see from where he said he was standing." Officer Patel replied as she walked out of the garage.

She returned a couple of minutes later.

"Leo definitely would be able to see Julian Jessop place something above the far side of the door from outside the window."

"The garage door swings up and in when it is open. We'll need to shut the door, but first we need to find something for you to stand on in order for you to see above the door. Um...there...the step-ladder. Just a moment I'll set it up and then we'll shut the garage door."

Moments later Officer Patel was standing on the step ladder and peering above the garage door. Disappointment immediately ran through her soul. There was nothing there other than the normal garage construction. Officer Patel glanced back and forth along the length of board on top of the garage door opening. Her head was telling her that this was simply a "wild goose chase", but her gut and cop instincts were telling her that something was not right. Leo...knew baseball. He knew what a bat looked like and he had no reason to lie.

_"This isn't right. Something doesn't look right."_ _She thought as she placed her gloved hand on the board and felt around. _

The board rocked ever so slightly. It was loose. It took a few minutes, but Officer Patel was able to raise the board enough to slip her hand underneath and wiggle it up and out of place. She handed it down to Detective Bailey. She peered over the garage door again and then looked down and smiled at her superior. After taking a few police evidence photos she handed Detective Bailey, what appeared to be, a blood covered bat to bag as evidence.

"Just a minute, there is something else here. Get another evidence bag." She said as she took a couple more photos.

A couple of minutes later she climbed down the step later and handed Detective Bailey a small locked metal box.

"We're going to bag this. We'll open it when we get it to the forensics lab. I don't want to break the lock until the lab guys have a chance to dust this for prints." Detective Bailey said.

Traci was correct. A small, originally thought, insignificant detail Leo mentioned during his police interview, lead to the evidence needed to solidify the case against Julian and Theresa Jessop.

Two days later Julian Jessop and his legal council sat beside each other, at a table, in an interview room inside a provincial penitentiary.

"Mr. Jessop, how are you today?" Tim Gilbert, the Provincial Prosecutor stated as he, Detective Bailey and Officer Stockwell entered the room.

"Life treating you good in this place?"

**What do you think. There is more to come.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hi everyone. This is the second last chapter to this story. I would like to thank everyone who has read, reviewed, followed and marked the story as favorite. Hope you enjoy this installment.**

"Life treating you good in this place?"

"Why have you called this meeting? My client has nothing more to say concerning the charges against him."

"Well perhaps we can help change his mind in that department. Do you recognize this by any chance Mr. Jessop." Tim Gilbert asked as Detective Bailey placed the evidence bagged bat down on the table in front of Julian Jessop.

Julian Jessop was good. To most he would have appeared to have shown no response, but Detective Bailey saw the small flash of emotion. Julian clenched his teeth together ever so slightly.

_"I've got you."_

"Really! Nothing to say. Perhaps you would like to explain the contents found inside this box." Detective Bailey said as he placed the evidence bagged metal box down and the evidence bags containing the box's contents.

"What is this?" Mr. Jessop's lawyer asked.

"This baseball bat was found in Mr. Jessop's garage by one of Detective Bailey's officers. DNA testing, identified the blood splatter, on the bat as belonging to Dex Davis. The father of Leo Nash-Davis."

"It doesn't prove that my client used that bat to commit a crime."

"The only finger prints found were that of your client."

"Nothing proves that he used it to injure Mr. Davis. Someone else could have worn gloves and used the bat to beat Mr. Davis."

"True, except embedded in the dried blood, are your clients prints. The only way they would be there is if he handled the bat when the blood was wet."

"I would like a moment to speak to my client alone."

"Sure, no problem, but why don't we go over everything else here first. Otherwise you may need to take several of these "moments" to speak to your client. Okay!"

"Alright."

"The box was found in the same location as the bat. It contained the schematics to build a canoe. Exactly like the green coloured canoe that was found on the shore of Lake Simcoe containing Leo Nash-Davis's shoe. You don't like to wear gloves do you Mr. Jessop? There's dried green paint on the plans. Again Mr. Jessop's fingerprints were the only prints found with many embedded right into the green paint. The lab checked the molecular structure of the paint on the plans against flecks of the paint from the canoe. They match perfectly. There are not too many places that sell marine paint. It is only a matter of time before we find the business where you made the purchase."

Mr. Jessop's lawyer glanced at his client before quietly questioning the significance of the contents of the other evidence bags.

"They are family pictures. Photographs of Mr. Jessop beside his canoe at different stages of its construction. These few are of Mr. Jessop and the real Devon paddling the canoe out on a body of water. The last couple of pictures, the Barrie PD in Ontario located during the course of their investigation. They are of Mr. and Mrs. Jessop at a campground in Barrie the day before Leo Nash-Davis disappeared."

"This document is a copy of Mr. Jessop's credit card statement from the time period of Leo Nash-Davis's disappearance. It shows he rented a Tea Green coloured Honda CRV with AJHH as the first four digits of the licence plate. It confirms what Leo's father remembers of the crime. This final document is a copy of the rental return form for the CRV. It clearly states the mileage accumulated on the rental vehicle between the time the Jessop's picked it up till the time they took it back. It's the perfect distance, to cover a round trip, between the city's of Toronto and Barrie.

"We'll leave you alone with your client for a few minutes." Public Prosecutor Tim Gilbert stated as Detective Bailey, Officer Stockwell and himself prepared to leave the room.

Julian Jessop's lawyer simply nodded.

Fifteen minutes later everyone was back in the interview room.

"My client will talk, but first he wants a deal." Mr. Jessop's lawyer said.

"Mr. Jessop, I'm not really in the position to negotiate a deal. You'll be returned to Ontario sometime over the next couple of months. It is where the crime originated. Your trial will be held in Ontario. If you want a deal, you will have to negotiate with the prosecutor in Ontario but, if you want my professional opinion you are in no position to obtain a deal. We do not need your statement to close this case. The evidence against the two of you is already overwhelming." Tim Gilbert stated.

"I don't care about myself. I'll do the time. I want to negotiate something for my wife. She doesn't belong in prison. Theresa should be in a hospital where she can get help."

Tim Gilbert studied the man sitting across from him. Physically he was fit, clean-cut, well-groomed and of average height. Personality wise, Julian Jessop was a calm, relaxed, self-assured, smug Black man who enjoyed "holding all the cards" in every situation.

_"That's why he now wants to negotiate a deal on his wife's behalf. He knows he no longer "holds all the cards". In his mind, if he negotiates a deal on his wife's behalf, he feels he once again is "in charge" of the situation. I could use this to my advantage. The Nash and Davis Families only want an answer to one question. Why was Leo abducted? Jessop is the one person who can give an answer. Okay then, let's play his game."_

"I could contact the prosecutor's office in Barrie, Ontario and make recommendations. What exactly do you want?"

"Theresa doesn't do any time in a prison. I want her admitted to a hospital."

"We can't drop the charges. This is a child abduction case. She ripped a child from his "life", and basically holding him captive."

"I'll serve both sentences."

"You can't. It's simply not done."

"Look, Theresa...she's not well. Prison...it will make her sicker. She needs professional help. You want answers then you get her out of prison. You get her help and then I'll talk."

"Why didn't you get your wife into therapy? If you knew she wasn't well. This entire mess may never have happened."

"I didn't realize until after the whole thing with the boy occurred. By then it was too late. I couldn't get her help at that point. I couldn't take a chance she would talk in therapy."

"I'm sure your lawyer has told you the Ontario courts have assigned a public prosecutor to this case. They are working on having both you and your wife extradited back to Ontario to face charges. I'll make a phone call. Speak to my counterpart. I can guarantee they will not drop the charges against your wife, but I'll look into them being reduced and I will discuss her possibly spending at least some of her time in a medical facility. The condition, for the deal, will be you talk and answer our questions."

"Okay." Julian replied.

"We'll meet here again in a couple of hours." Tim Gilbert stated as once again Detective Bailey, Officer Stockwell and himself stood to leave the room.

"How much of a deal are you willing to make with this guy." Officer Stockwell questioned as the trio walked out of the prison.

"Look, I need to work on this fast. Dr. Tran's is preparing his report to present to the courts. He feels Theresa Jessop is not fit to stand trial by mental disease. His recommendation will be for her placement in an institution indefinitely where she can receive therapy. I'm sure Theresa's council is in the process of arranging for a psychological evaluation. Their doctor will no doubt come to the same conclusion. My goal is to keep both Julian and Theresa Jessop "away from the public" for as long as possible and to obtain answers. Right now we have the upper hand. I don't believe Mr. Jessop is listening to his lawyer. Mr. Jessop does not appear to know Theresa will, in all likelihood; end up in an institution instead of on trial and in prison. Chances are Theresa will spend more time locked away in an institution than she would spend in prison. I'm not really making a deal to benefit the Jessop's. I'm making a deal to benefit everyone else involved in this crime."

Officer Stockwell gave a small smile and shook his head.

"My obligation is to Leo, the Nash and Davis Families and the public. Leo's parents want to know why the Jessop's took Leo. We can theorize why but, Jessop is the only one who can tell us the real reason. The Families and the Canadian public want these two perpetrators locked away. They want them off of their streets."

"I can accomplish that by faking a deal." Officer Stockwell stated.

"Yea, I have to make a phone call. "

Two hours later everyone was present in the same prison meeting room.

"Mr. Jessop this is your deal. Based on Dr. Tran's recommendations, one of our police psychiatrists, we will move your wife to a locked down mental facility tomorrow. Basically a prison hospital. There she'll be diagnosed and treated. I will recommend some of the lesser charges against her be dropped. It is on the condition you answer our questions. You choose not to answer questions, and then your wife will go through due process of the courts. She could spend months in prison being evaluated over and over before eventually being deemed unfit to stand trial. Then she probably will spend many more months waiting to transfer to a proper facility for treatment. I will recommend all the current charges against her stand. Do we have a deal?"

_"His lawyer is not dumb. He knows this is a bunch of bologna, but I'm banking on Julian's need to be in charge. I'm right; he will accept this deal, despite his lawyer's advice."_

Tim Gilbert gambled correctly. Julian's lawyer did attempt to protest the deal but, Mr. Jessop waved him off as he shook his head in agreement.

"Good, now start at the beginning and tell us why you and your wife took Leo Nash-Davis."

**What do you think? Let me know.**


	14. Chapter 14

**I would like to thank everyone who read, reviewed, followed and/or marked this story as favorite. This is the final chapter. Writing this fanfic was a literary journey. I enjoyed every second. Love to know what you think of the conclusion. Leave me a review. Thanks! **

"Good, now start at the beginning and tell us why you and your wife took Leo Nash-Davis."

"Theresa and I met and stated dating in college. She was studying to become a vet's assistant. I was studying accounting. We married a year after we both finished our studies. I was working for one of the big banks. A few months after we married a good job came available at the bank's head office in Toronto. I applied for the position, interviewed and was offered the job. We packed everything up and moved to Toronto. Theresa always wanted to become a mother. We tried for a couple of years, but she simply did not become pregnant. Our doctor sent us to a specialist who recommended IVF treatments. Twice we tried the procedure with no luck. That was the first time I started noticing Theresa was not right. She wasn't the happy, full of life girl I married. It was as if she was replaced by this obsessed tyrant. Every waking hour her mind seemed focused on having a child. She took her temperature every morning and tracked her periods. She was testing her urine for hormone level spikes. Sex, it became nothing more than a baby making tool. Month after month she didn't become pregnant. We started quarrelling all the time. Then one day everything stopped. We tried for over four years. Nothing happened and then suddenly she was pregnant. Devon was born seven and a half months later. He was our beautiful little miracle. He had Theresa's eyes and lighter skin tone and my mouth and jaw line. Theresa went back to her old self once she had Devon. We stopped arguing. Devon was almost seven years old when we noticed he seemed to suddenly have no energy. He was falling asleep in the middle of the day. We made him a doctor's appointment. A week later the doctor's diagnosed Devon with leukemia. He started treatment the next day. Eight months later we buried our son. He simply did not respond to treatment and the cancer claimed his life. Neither one of us could even bring ourselves to tell our families. Theresa slipped into a depression. I thought it was part of the grieving process. She would come around in time. She did, in time, seem to improve. Then one day she came home from work angry. She claimed the hospital had lied when they said Devon had died. She said "Those doctors at the hospital took our Devon and gave him to someone else to raise.". He was alive. She had seen him alive. I thought she had lost her marbles, but then she showed me a picture, on her cell phone, of the boy she had spotted at a park. I found myself wondering if she was correct. Did the hospital lie? The boy...he was the image of Devon. Theresa skipped work the next day and went back to the park. The boy showed again, after school, with an older black woman. Theresa took more pictures and followed the two when they left. She found out where the child was living. I have to admit, I went with her, one afternoon, to get a glimpse of this boy. We parked a few houses away from the home he was living in and waited for him to come along. He just looked exactly like Devon. I became sucked into Theresa's vortex. We followed and watched Leo for weeks. Then suddenly he wasn't around. We eventually discovered he was spending his summer in Barrie with his father. While all this was happening the bank offered me a promotion, but it meant moving back to British Columbia. I decided to take the position. A fresh start. I knew I had to get Theresa away from this other boy. She was becoming obsessed. It was making her sick. We sold the house and packed everything up and had it shipped out west. Then a few days before we were due to drive to Vancouver, Theresa spotted Leo. He must have come down to visit his mom for a day or two. I didn't see any harm in letting her see him for a couple of days. We were leaving the province. I did a bit of research on the internet. I located the address of the Davis's cottage in Barrie. My vehicle was in the shop. I left it there for a couple of days to have some work done on the engine. Thought it would be a good idea since we were going to drive to Vancouver. I rented a CRV. I wanted to take my canoe and do a little fishing and I though it would be a good vehicle to hull the canoe to Barrie. I rented a campsite for a couple of nights. I found a piece of shoreline that was quiet. I hid the canoe there before we went to the campground. I'm not sure why really. Theresa thought it would be easier than dragging it back and forth between the lake and the campsite. Once we settled at the campsite we drove to the Davis's cottage. I used the back roads. Theresa wanted to see some to the countryside and enjoy the scenery. . We spotted Leo and Theresa took some pictures. The next day I took Theresa out in the canoe and did some fishing. I thought it would get her mind off of Leo. I talked to her about the move back to British Columbia. We still hadn't told our families of Devon's death. I told Theresa again we needed to deal with letting them know. A day and a half later we packed up the campsite. Theresa asked to see Leo one last time. I didn't see any harm. We drove over to the cottage, parked a short distance away and watched. At one point Leo went inside the house alone while his dad stayed around back. The boy was alone in the house. It was the first time we ever witnessed him alone. Things just happened so fast in the few minutes that followed. I didn't even think. I was just acting on impulse. I got sucked into my wife's belief that Leo was Devon. Theresa got out of the car and told me to follow her and bring my baseball bat. I always kept it on the floor behind the driver's seat. Protection, you know, for if you are ever car jacked. The front door, of the cottage, wasn't locked. Theresa put on a pair of gloves she pulled out from her pocket and just waltzed right inside the home. I followed her but only to get her to leave. Leo was in the washroom. When he came out, Theresa ran up behind him and injected him with something in a syringe. She must have taken it from the vet clinic where she worked. It was the first time I had ever seen her with a syringe. Leo fell into a heap. I don't know what I was thinking. I handed Theresa my bat, picked Leo up and headed out of the house. I don't think I even touched a single thing the couple of minutes I was in the house. As we were walking across the front lawn with Leo the dad spotted us and yelled for us to put his son down. He ran over and grabbed Theresa by the arm. When she screamed I lost control. I put Leo down on the ground, ran over, and grabbed my bat out of Theresa's hand. I think at that moment I really believed Leo was Devon. I know I kept thinking that this guy broke up my family. The dad managed to duck the first couple of swings I made and then he took off towards the beach around the back of the cottage. I think he was attempting to go inside the house to call for help. I caught up to him and well you know the rest. I was sure the guy was dead. I couldn't leave him alive. He was a witness."

"Do you have any idea what you have done? What you have done to Leo's Family?" Tim Gilbert stated.

"When we first snatched the child I think, at that moment, I did believe he was Devon. For a short time I became caught up in the concept of having our son back in our lives. As time passed by I realized Leo wasn't Devon. They were two different children. My son loved basketball. This boy enjoys baseball. Devon's favourite food was lasagna. Leo likes chicken soup. Devon liked the colour green."

"I take it that Leo likes a different colour."

"Blue...I tried to change him. You know, make him into Devon. In the end I think all I did was bully him into submission."

"Why didn't you drop Leo off at a police station when you came to your senses? You could have driven away. Chances are we may never have discovered your true identity."

"Theresa...she couldn't lose Devon a second time. Leo was from a broken home. I thought we could give him a more stable home life. I guess I figured both of his parents could have more children."

"You built the canoe yourself. In the pictures we found you seemed very proud of your accomplishment. Why set it adrift with Leo's shoe"

"I never intended to leave the canoe. I even planned to take it with us to B.C.. I drove down to the shore to retrieve it after we took Leo. Theresa suggested we throw his shoe inside the canoe and set it adrift. She said it would make everyone think that Leo had drowned. No one would look for him. I didn't want to leave the canoe. I mean I spent a long time building...I mean...I was proud of my work. I wasn't really thinking clearly. In the end I helped Theresa wipe it down with a couple of towels and set it adrift."

"Why wipe it down?"

"Fingerprints...Theresa and I didn't want our prints found. Theresa even washed the inside down with some type of household cleaner. We rinsed it out with some lake water, threw the boy's shoe inside and set it adrift."

"Why does Leo have no knowledge of being drugged?"

"Theresa, she said the drug she gave Leo tended to have some effects on patient's memory. It made memories just before the drug being administered a bit fuzzy. Leo couldn't remember the events, of the last few hours, before we took him from the cottage. It made it easier to convince Leo of his father's death and his mom's willingness to give him up for adoption."

"Did Theresa go along with this whole adoption story?"

"She seemed to at first. Early on I heard her tell him the same story a couple of times. Later, after Leo lived with us for a few weeks, she started mentioning stories of when Devon was young. She didn't seem able to distinguish between the two boys. I do know once Leo came into our lives, Theresa went back to normal. She acted the same way as when Devon was alive...happy and full of life. I guess I enjoyed having my wife back to her old self."

"Didn't anyone in your own families question Leo's resemblance to Devon?"

"No, we sent photos of Devon to family through the years and we took him most years to Vancouver either for Christmas or for a couple of weeks during summer vacation. We never told our families Devon died. As far as they all knew Devon was alive and well. Leo looked identical to Devon. As far as I know, nobody ever suspected Devon was Leo."

"I would like the answer to a question." Mr. Jessop said.

"What do you want to know?"

"How did the police locate Leo?"

"An anonymous tip phoned to the Vancouver PD's crime stoppers line lead to Leo's whereabouts. The individual's identity is unknown. It is the way the crime stoppers program operates."

"I have no more questions at this time Mr. Jessop. I'll schedule a meeting through your lawyer if more questions arise in the future."

Mr. Jessop simply nodded.

A few minutes later outside the prison walls Public prosecutor Tim Gilbert, Detective Bailey and Officer Stockwell stood behind a parked police car.

"Tim...what..." Detective Bailey trailed.

"Mrs. Jessop is ill and she does need extensive mental therapy. I am not arguing with Dr. Tran. Was she sick before she and her husband abducted Leo? Yes, she was ill at that point. The question here is how sick was she when she participated in the crime. Was she aware of her actions? The answer to that question, I believe, is "yes". You heard Mr. Jessop. Theresa was the one who stole a drug filled syringe from her employers. She intended to steal Leo. She planned the kidnapping. As much as Mr. Jessop likes to think he is in charge, she played him."

"What do you want to do with this information?" Detective Bailey asked.

"Find the vet clinic that employed Mrs. Jessop. Have their books audited. If a drug vial is unaccounted for it will show. We'll start there."

The next afternoon investigators located the information Public Prosecutor, Tim Gilbert, requested. There was more to Mrs. Jessop than met the eye. She was mentally ill, but she did plan the crime.

"What do you want to do with this information Tim?" Detective Stockwell questioned.

"We speak to Dr. Tran and then we call a meeting with Mr. Jessop."

Dr. Tran had originally stated that Mrs. Jessop was manipulative. The evidence did not lie. Mrs. Jessop did plan Leo's kidnapping and she did play her husband into participating. The problem surrounded her mental state during the time of the crime and when the police placed her under arrest. No one disputed she was suffering from mental disease.

As Dr. Tran explained. "Mrs. Jessop was ill at the time of the kidnapping. I know the evidence clearly shows she planned the kidnapping. She was aware she was abducting Leo. The problem lies with her reason for taking the child. She truly believed Leo was Devon. Even now, in her mind, Leo is Devon. She feels she only took what belonged to her in the first place. You are walking a very thin line gentlemen. Even if she becomes well enough to stand trial it will be difficult to obtain a guilty verdict."

A meeting was held with Mr. Jessop, his council, Dr. Tran, Tim Gilbert, Dr. Bailey and Officer Stockwell the next day. Tim Gilbert presented a revision to the original "deal" to Mr. Jessop and his lawyer.

"Through mutual agreement Mrs. Jessop will still be admitted to a prison hospital in British Columbia until her extradition to Ontario. In Ontario she will be placed in a prison hospital for an undetermined amount of time. If and when she's deemed fit to stand trial all the original charges against her stand. In exchange, for his co-operation, Mr. Jessop will have some, of the charges, against him reduced, but he will agree not to appeal his sentence at trial. He will not interfere with his wife's care."

Two months after their arrest, Julian and Theresa Jessop returned to Ontario to face charges. The deal struck with Julian Jessop, was presented to and accepted by the court. Julian's next court appearance, to enter a plea, was set for late fall. Traci, Dex and Leo attended a meeting, ahead of time, with the prosecuting attorney in preparation for the court date. He told them he intended to do everything possible to keep Leo from taking the stand. With the amount of evidence already collected and with more evidence likely unearthed, in the future, he was quite sure Leo's testimony would not be required. As it turned out Julian Jessop entered a plea of "guilty". There was no trial. Leo was free from having to face either Julian or Theresa Jessop again for a very, very long time. Hopefully for ever.

Life slowly slipped back to "normal" for Leo, his family and friends. Life would never be exactly the same as "pre" Leo's abduction but, together as an "extended" family, they did move forward to a more relaxed and pleasant place. Leo's disappearance made every member of his extended family more cautious, especially with all of their children. Maybe sometimes they were a little too over protective, but everyone had experienced, first hand, how it felt loosing a child. Everyone realized they were lucky to have Leo back in their lives. Really it was a miracle from God. Many abducted children are never seen or heard from again.

Traci and Leo, using the internet, located a bakery in Vancouver that delivered wonderful cakes. They picked out a vanilla and butter cream cake and sent it to the precinct where Officer Chung and Officer Stockwell worked. Leo kept in touch with Officer Chung. Once a month he sent her a letter and a picture. She kept every single correspondence. Normally she did not stay in touch with victims but, Leo was a special case.

Traci, her mom and Leo baked two large cakes and took them into the 15th a few days after he arrived home. Leo was happy to see his "extended" family and Frank made him an honorary member of the Toronto PD.

The Davis family and Leo baked cupcakes, together one evening, about a month after he returned. The next day they drove to Barrie, for an afternoon, and delivered the cupcakes to the Officers of the Barrie PD precinct where Detective Adams worked. The cupcakes were a huge hit with the Officers. The Staff Sargeant made Leo an honorary member of the Barrie PD.

Leo responded well to both individual and family therapy. A big part of his improvement may have been due to the willingness of both Traci and Dex to co-operate with Leo's therapist. Even Mrs. Nash, his Grannie and Granddad Davis and Jerry attended a session on occasion. All were willing participants.

Dov kept Leo's web page operating for three more months. He and Traci went in and programmed LOCATED across the page a few days after Leo returned. It was, without a doubt, almost as good a day as when Leo returned. Three months later he deleted the page from the web.

For months, after Leo's recovery, Chris would occasionally apologize to Traci. Usually she rolled her eyes and told him she never did blame him for what happened to Leo. Eventually he came to terms with the issue and it was never mentioned.

Two weeks after Leo returned Andy started wearing her engagement ring in public. She had shown her family and wore it when she was not at work, but never around her fellow police friends. She felt uncomfortable letting Traci see a symbol of such happiness. Sam understood he had struggled with the same concept for weeks before giving the ring to Andy. They both knew they would simply "feel" when the right time arrived for Andy, to wear and show the ring. Sam had placed the ring on her finger and proposed on Valentine's Day. He had taken Andy for a gourmet dinner at "Reds" restaurant downtown. After dinner he drove her to his home where a bottle of champagne was sitting on ice. He poured them each a glass, guided Andy over to the centre of his living room, went down on one knee and proposed. He had chosen a beautiful eighteen karate gold ring with a single sapphire placed between two diamonds. The sapphire represented the month of July. Traditionally, in Canada, the birthstone for July is a ruby, but no matter how hard Sam tried he just didn't see Andy wearing a ruby. It was an East Indian jeweller who suggested a sapphire. He could tell that Sam was Christian and Canadian based on the type of stones and style of ring he was asking to view. The jeweller had smiled and told Sam that birthstones were not religious. How the various stones became associated with the months of the year is not really known. There are a few legends, but none of the stories are really religious. They are not mentioned in the Bible. The Hindu stone for the month of July is a sapphire. Sam had smiled when the jeweller had brought out a number of sapphire and diamond rings for him to view. He knew the second he laid eyes on the one ring it was Andy. It was not an elaborate setting, just a row of three stones. One centre sapphire with one slightly smaller sized diamond on each side. The sapphire represented the month she had come barreling into his life. The diamonds represented the two of them. The three stones in a row represented how many children he saw them eventually having together. The gold ring was for eternal love.

A "Welcome Home" backyard bar-b-que pool party was organized, for Leo and his Division 15 family members, a month after he came home. Surprisingly it was Gail who did all the planning. Mind you she did tell everyone what to bring as a food contribution, and she did order Sam and Jerry to chef the bar-b-que. Then again she did host the event and supply the drinks. Well technically she hosted the event. It was held at her family's home, when her parents were conveniently away on a two-week vacation. As Traci said to Andy, "When the cat's away the mice do play". The party was a huge success. Oliver brought his wife, who he had reconciled with, and his daughters. Chris brought his latest "new" girlfriend. Dov came alone, but Nick brought his three nephews he was babysitting for the day. Andy came with Sam. Noelle and Frank brought baby Chloë and Luke brought a girl he met recently at a coffee shop. Leo had a great time and made friends with Nick's nephews and the Shaw's youngest daughter.

As for baseball, Leo asked if he could play, for the league, in Barrie the summer he returned. The therapist encouraged Dex to allow him to play. "Leo is ready to play and he knows where he wants to play. You are the one who is unsure of the situation. Sign him up to play in Barrie. If he wanted to play in Toronto, he would not have asked to play in Barrie. He knows there are options. He is a smart boy."

**Fifteen months after Leo's return.**

Traci and Jerry drove up the driveway of the Davis's new cottage on the shore of Lake Simcoe in Barrie, Ontario and parked. Mr. and Mrs. Davis sold their original cottage a few weeks after Leo returned. It was time. The original cottage held many memories. Many good, but too many recently were not happy. It was where Dex almost lost his life and Leo's kidnapping occurred. Fate seemed to intervene, when a similar cottage in size, style, condition and location came available, on the market, the day after the Davis's listed their cottage. Mr. and Mrs. Davis smiled knowingly at each other after their first tour of the new cottage. It was perfect. The structure was still on the shores of Lake Simcoe, yet far enough away from the original cottage and its memories to not be an issue. The Davis's purchased the cottage, the day it went on the market, for $30,000.00 less than what they received for their cottage two days later.

"It looks like Mr. and Mrs. Swarek are already here." Traci said as she turned to Jerry and smiled.

"You love to say Mrs. Swarek to me don't you Trac?"

"I like watching your reaction every time you hear "Mrs. Swarek."

"There is no reaction."

"Yes there is a reaction. You smile, shake your head and rub your chin."

"I do not." Jerry said as he rubbed his chin.

"Hmm...hmmm."

"Okay! It's subconscious. Trac...I never thought the day would come where there would be a Mrs. Swarek. Sammy...he...all the years I have known him has been the "love them and leave them" type of guy. He...ran from...even the remotest sign of commitment. It's odd seeing him with a wife."

"You have to admit, she is good for him."

Jerry smiled, "Yes...that she is."

"Are you ready for this sweetheart?" Jerry asked.

Traci shook her head and smiled.

"The Davis Family and I are in a good place. Losing Leo, for all those months...it gave everyone a different view on life. It made us all silently re-evaluate what was important. Things we argued or held grudges over, in the past, are no longer important. I guess we all "grew up". It's true...maturity brings peace. Yes, I am ready. Let's go see Leo."

Jerry smiled as he exited the vehicle.

"You're wearing my ring."

"I think it is time to tell them we're engaged." Traci said as she smiled.

Fifteen months ago The Davis Family promised Leo they would have a huge fishing party when Leo returned home. They kept their promise, and that fall Leo invited his Mom, Jerry, Grandma Nash, Aunt Andy, Uncle Sam and his Aunts, Uncles and cousins on the Davis side to the new cottage for a huge fishing party and fish fry. The event was such a success that the Davis Family decided to make it an annual get-together.

Leo came running up to his mother and Jerry when he spotted them walking around to the back of the cottage. Mr. and Mrs. Davis had driven Leo and his Grandma Nash to the cottage after school Friday evening. The Fishing Party was held the next day.

"Mom! Jerry! Come on, get a fishing rod. We are heading out, in the row boats, in a few minutes."

Jerry and Traci both smiled.

"I'm ready buddy. Lead the way." Jerry said.

"Mom! You coming too?"

"Oh, I don't..."

Mom! Pleeeeeeease! Aunt Andy is coming to fish."

"Alright then...I guess I will have to give this fishing thing a try this year." She said smiling.

A few hours later, and after a very successful fishing trip and feast, almost everyone sat around the fire pit sipping Irish coffees. There attention was completely focused on Leo, Dex and Sam.

Everyone watched amused as the trio attempted to set up the Christmas gift Traci purchased for Leo the Christmas he was lost.

A few moments later cheering and clapping erupted as the vinegar and baking soda rocket shot into the air with a large pop.

Traci and Dex glanced at each other and smiled. They may not have been "great", but they did make a son together who was amazing. They were in a good place together.

**Two weeks later**

It started with a phone call from Superintendent Peck to Detective Nash. A third three-year old child vanished, without a trace, from the same park in Toronto, within a four month period. At the moment everything, concerning the three cases, appeared identical including the children's physical characteristics. It was possible they had a serial predator. They needed to catch this individual. Superintendent Peck wanted one of her best detectives to take over as the lead investigator. Not only one of her best, but one who could relate to the devastated families. Someone with first hand knowledge of both sides of this type of crime. That officer will read the families, neighbours and witnesses differently. That officer will view all the evidence differently. That officer will be the one to solve this case. Detective Traci Nash was that officer.

"I need you. I know I am asking you to work, even more so for you, a very emotionally challenging case. You have a very unique insight to this type of crime. Am I asking you to exploit that knowledge? Yes, I am. I will not force you to work this case. I will understand if you wish to pass. I am now asking; do you want this task? Are you up to this task?"

Traci took a deep breath and then replied, "Yes Ma'am, I believe I am."

_"I'll bring these children home. I'll close this case." Traci thought as she prepared to head to the crime scene._

It started with a phone call. It always started with a phone call.

**In case anyone is wondering I am Christian. I saw, in my mind, what type of ring I wanted Sam to give Andy and I attempted to work with the traditional birth stones, I am familiar with in Canada but, I was unable to make the ring right. I started researching and discovered the Hindu birth stone chart. Light bulbs went off. **

**This story came to me when I saw a poster for a missing child. After writing this story I believe I am more aware of these posters. I now take a minute and really look at the child's face. I urge all my readers to do the same. Perhaps someone from the fanfic family will help to re-unite a child with their real family.  
**

**Let me know what you think. Leave me a review.  
**

**Thank-you and Take Care  
**

**Paintedpony48  
**


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